BJP hits back at Congress: ABG Shipyard fraud took place in UPA time
Facing criticism from the Congress regarding the alleged bank fraud case involving ABG Shipyard, the BJP on Wednesday hit back saying that the fraud took place during the time of the UPA government at the Centre.
“ABG Shipyard became NPA (non-performing asset) on November 30, 2013. This was the period of Congress rule. Most of the rigging took place between 2005 and 2012, in which they were given a big deal of the Navy by the UPA government, which was cancelled by the BJP government. The audit report came in 2016 and they were declared frauds during our government’s tenure,” Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, said at a press conference at the party headquarters.
The CBI booked Gujarat-based ship-building company ABG Shipyard and its directors for alleged fraudulent loan default to the tune of Rs 22,842 crore.
Pointing out that the scam started in 2012, Trivedi said: “ABG Shipyard’s loan was rescheduled in March 2014. Rs 970 crore in June 2011, Rs 500-crore order placed in January 2012, and restructuring done in March 2014. It is believed that the company’s promoters had close relations with a former political adviser to the Congress president.”
Trivedi’s allegation come days after Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the central government was running a “loot and escape” flagship scheme for bank fraudsters.
