Will probe Reliance gas deal with open mind: Oil Minister

respond with an “open mind” in eight weeks.

“By making this criticism,I am afraid they are prejudicing the process of objective examination by CAG,” he said.

CAG after incorporating the ministry’s comment will table the final report in Parliament after which it will go to the PAC.

“Why should such a senior member of Parliament be in such a haste? It is not very edifying for a senior member like Joshi. He should leave the job to younger people in the party (BJP) and not indulge in this (kind of criticism),” Reddy said.

Joshi had on Friday attacked the government for alleged favours to companies like Reliance Industries and singled out Chidambaram,who was then Finance Minister,for the criticism.

He had demanded Chidambram’s removal from the Cabinet.

Reddy said while the draft CAG report does not make any reference to the USD 4.20 per mmBtu price fixed for Reliance’s KG-D6 gas,Joshi has brought in “extraneous matter and singled out Chidambaram (for the decision due to) personal agenda”.

The gas price was fixed by an empowered group of ministers of which Chidambaram was part as the then Finance Minister.

“If decisions taken by the EGoM is to be critised personally,then there is no shelter for ministers. Decisions taken in EGoMs are collective. If such attacks are made,people will be afraid to take decisions.”

Rejecting any role in the leak,Reddy challenged senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi to move a privilege notice if he felt the leak had in any way violated his rights as an MP.

Addressing a press conference,Reddy said his ministry will give “appropriate response” in eight weeks to the points raised by CAG on the audit of Reliance Industries’ KG-D6 gas fields,Cairn India’s Rajasthan oil block and BG Group-operated Panna/Mukta and Tapti oil and gas fields.

“If he (Joshi) is concerned and if he feels it (the leak) tantamounts to violation of his rights,he should give notice of breach of privilege,” he said.

CAG in its June 8 draft report stated the oil ministry and its technical arm DGH favoured private firms like Reliance and Cairn India by allowing them to retain entire

exploration acreage,turning a blind eye to increase in capital expenditure and giving additional area in violation of Production Sharing Contract (PSC).

Refusing to be drawn into the points raised by CAG,Reddy said his ministry will approach the report with an open mind. “I am confident CAG will look at our reply with an open mind. If in the final report they come out with criticism on some issues,we will also look at them with open mind,” he said.

Any observation or recommendation in the final report which is accepted by the government,“we will act upon them and if (there are some which are) not agreed upon,we will not act on them,” he said.

“I am not saying that CAG observations are baseless. If (there is) some substance,we should be concerned,” he said,while asking everyone to exercise restraint till the final report is out.