New Delhi, Sept 17: A day after the halting of divestment in HPCL and BPCL following the Supreme Court verdict, Sangh Parivar affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch today asked the government to explain as to who was responsible for not taking Parliament into confidence for sale of equity in oil PSUs. "Ministry of Disinvestment owes an explanation to the people of this nation and Parliament, as to why and under what circumstances, the process was speeded up without taking Parliament into confidenece.
"Whosoever has been responsible should be held accountable for this act," SJM's steering committee member Bhagwat Prakash Sharma said in a statement while emphasising that SJM was opposed to the process of disinvestment due to lack of transparency in the evaluation process and bypassing of Parliament while taking such a crucial decision.
He said that the SJM's viewpoint has been upheld by the Supreme Court decision that government could not proceed with divestment in the two oil PSUs without getting the approval of Parliament.
Demanding a re-look into the definition of strategic and non-strategic sectors, SJM sought that divestment in oil PSUs be stopped by declaring the sector as strategic and said HPCL, BPCL and IOC be allowed to emerge as giant corporations to face global competition.

SJM also suggested that a national consensus be evolved about the evaluation process regarding the ongoing process of disinvestment of other PSUs and asked the government to make it transparent.
Bureau Report