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We know that a lot of criticisms are made, so far as we are concerned, who oppose this, about the way it has been happening so far. Of course, we are not alone; we have got the distinguished company of yourself, Sir, when you were here. Now, the very favourite answer of Shri Arun Shourie is, "Well, your State Governments are also doing it." That is why, he could not resist the temptation of following the controversial Defence Minister in wasting public money in publishing a book called "Disinvestment in States". How are you concerned? He is spending money on some 50-page booklet, like the Defence Ministry has spent money on some booklet, which was prepared and circulated by a friend of the Defence Minister. It is a comical thing and a childish attempt to try to divert the attention of the people from the real issues. I do not know what to say. I do not know where does our very good friend, Shri Ram Naik, stand now.

THE MINISTER OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI RAM NAIK): I am sitting here.

MR. SPEAKER: He is very much there.

SHRI SOMNATH CHATTERJEE : It seems you have surrendered and you sat down. What about our revolutionary and controversial Defence Minister? What happened to him? Where is our saffron didi? Where is our HRD Minister? He only reads NCERT books. All his blabber inside here is about NCERT books. What about his attempts to criticise or oppose this loot that is going on? He is conspicuous by his absence. The Ministers are fighting; NDA partners are opposing. I hope, Shri Geethe, you will be continuing this opposition. I hope, you will oppose it. आप लोग तो अपोज करते हैं, हाथ उठाते हैं, क्या बात है ?

My sixth question was : Should a distinction be made between PSUs that pioneered new fields of industrialisation or new horizons of technology or new geographical areas of development, and PSUs which arose out of the failure of the private sector to run their enterprises properly, including the National Textiles Corporation?

My seventh question was : On what criteria should management control be transferred and under what circumstances should the transfer of ownership be considered? I also asked in what extreme conditions should Government relinquish both ownership and management. Is this an unfair question to ask? They are making their own decisions where strategic sale will take place, where they are going to give it out for public offer etc. I am asking him to tell us the criteria so that automatically, from the criteria, it flows as to which PSE is not going to be privatised, which one is going to be privatised in such a way that we lose management control, and which is going to be privatised in such a way that we lose ownership control also. What is their problem in telling us the criteria? If the criteria is going to be that they would give it up if Shri Ram Naik says `yes’ and they will not give it up if Shri Pramod Mahajan says `no’, this is not transparency. We can debate it fourteen times, Shri Tripathi, in this House. But unless you are clear about the criteria, there can be no transparency and therefore, the opaqueness does not lie in the inability of Shri Somnath Chatterjee to see the truth nor does transparency lie in the fact that you, Shri Tripathi, are blinded by the truth. The opaqueness lies in the fact that criteria, on the basis of which decisions are taken, are not in the public realm; they are the private property of the gentleman called Shri Arun Shourie. Maybe, he shares this with his friends in 7, Race Course Road in exchange for every ministership that he is given, but certainly, the country does not know. On behalf of the country, I demand that in the White Paper, this seventh question which I have raised, be answered.

So, what is NDA? Within the BJP, I admire and salute the courage and conviction shown by our Petroleum Minister, Shri Ram Naik, not for any reason but for the genuine reason of national security, country’s assets and the contribution of the officers, workers in the petroleum sector. … (Interruptions) Shri Ram Naik at least tried to share his opinion.
Shri Arun Shourie is a Minister. Can he first explain one point as to why he thought to review the whole matter and change his pattern of disinvestment in oil sector from the strategic sale to public sale of shares? It was because of our consistent opposition from the Opposition parties and consistent opposition from within NDA and also from within the Cabinet. Do you not agree to that? If you agree to this, then do you not understand and interpret what does it mean? He will not share.