New Delhi, Feb 01: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today asked the Congress to reveal the details of Rs 150 crore it allegedly received as petro bribe from the deposed Saddam Hussain regime and urged the Centre to seek a report from the Iraqi administration probing the scandal. Putting ten questions before the congress, the BJP asked the Congress to explain what compelled it to seek 10 lakh barrel of oil from Iraq during the Saddam regime and the details of the deal between the two.

''The Congress should also explain what it paid in return of the 10 lakh barrel of oil and where the Rs 150 crore went,'' BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons here.

Besides, the Congress should clarify where it had sold the oil and where the sale deed was accounted for. Further, whether the party had paid income tax on the same, where it had used the money and when would it give full information to the country in regard to the 'petro scam', the BJP said.

There have been allegations that the Russian Communist Party, the Indian Congress Party and the Palestine Liberation Organisation were among the recipients of illegal oil from the deposed regime in return for their support under the food for oil programme.

The revelation about the Congress having received money from the erstwhile Saddam regime was a serious matter as that party had ruled the country for almost five decades and was now the main opposition.

He said that the expose had named congress among 46 recepients. The BJP was not concerned about organisations of other countries. But Congress figuring in the list was a serious issue and it was necessary for the Congress to tell the truth. It had put a question mark on the ''neeti, neeyat and netritva'' (policy, intention and leadership) of the Congress Party.

Naqvi also demanded the government to institute a high-level probe into the matter as this ''petro-scandal'' was causing embarrassment to the country and its image at the international fora.
He quoted Iraq's Governing Council member Naseer Chaderji as saying that ''I think the list is true and I will demand an investigation. These people must be prosecuted.'' Naqvi said this was a serious indictment against the Congress Party and its leadership.

On Friday, the BJP urged the Centre to seek more details from the Iraqi Governing Council about its decision to investigate into the allegations that the Congress was among the recipients of illegal oil.

Bureau Report