NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government of running a "loot and escape" and "ease of committing fraud" scheme for bank fraudsters and questioned the "silence" of the prime minister on the ABG Shipyard scam of Rs 22,842 crore.
Party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh asked why the recovery of Rs 13,975 crore from the ABG Shipyard was not done even after the Debt Recovery Tribunal in Ahmedabad had given orders in this regard in 2018.
He claimed the DBT said in its order that if the amount is not paid by the ABG Shipyard, it should be recovered by selling ABG's movable and immovable property, asking why banks did not go ahead with it.
The CBI has questioned the then chairman and managing director of ABG Shipyard Limited, Rishi Agarwal, in connection with its probe into the alleged banking fraud, officials said.
Agarwal was examined recently, the officials said without giving details of exact date of his examination.
The action by the CBI came after it registered an FIR on February 7, 2022 on a complaint filed by SBI 17 months ago on August 25, 2020.
The central probe agency has issued look out circulars against the accused in the case to prevent them from leaving the country, they said.
Vallabh alleged complicity, collusion and connivance of those sitting in the highest echelons of power in the Modi government in the case.
"'Loot and Escape' and 'ease of committing fraud' is the Modi government's flagship scheme for bank fraudsters as Rs 22,842 crore of public money was swindled," he told reporters.
"When the DRT, Ahmedabad had ordered for recovery of Rs 13,975 crore from the ABG in 2018, why was it not done for the last 4 years," he asked.
Posing a set of nine questions on the issue, the Congress leader alleged that this has been the biggest fraud under the Modi government and it is only after a gap of five years that the CBI registered an FIR against the promoters of ABG Shipyard on February 7 this year.
He also claimed that on March 31, 2016 Agarwal had disclosed his total movable and immovable assets worth Rs 2.66 lakh crore and took a further loan of Rs 1,925 crore.
"Why are the prime minister and the finance minister still mum on India's biggest banking fraud of Rs 22,842 crore? When the DRT, Ahmedabad had ordered for recovery of Rs 13,975 crore from the ABG, why was it not done for the last 4 years? Who is stopping banks from doing the same," he asked.
Vallabh said restructuring of a loan was different from classifying the same as fraud and claimed that this was done in 2019.
"Why has Rishi Agarwal, the promoter of ABG Shipyard, not been arrested till date? What's the status of Rishi Agarwal's citizenship? Where is he," he asked.
The Congress leader also asked why RBI data does not reflect the ABG fraud and why is the central bank behaving as mere spectator without any action.
"Why did the Modi government refuse to take note of public allegations made on 15.2.2018 i.e. 4 years ago, by the principal opposition party, the Indian National Congress, warning of a scam in the ABG Shipyard? "Why did the Modi government not lodge an FIR and take criminal action, despite ABG Shipyard's accounts having been declared as 'fraud' on 19.6.
2019? Why did the Modi government and the CBI not file an FIR against the shipyard at the time of first complaint made by the SBI to the CBI, 2 years ago i.e. on 8.11.2019," he asked.
Vallabh also questioned why did the CBI not lodge an FIR for one and a half years, even after the second complaint on June 25, 2020 made by the SBI and asked does this not prove the complicity, collusion and connivance of those sitting in highest echelons of power in the government.