Govt. to review pump allotment to George's wife

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 6. The controversy surrounding Mr. Vincent George, private secretary to the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today took on a added hue. Close on the heels of being booked by the CBI for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income, the Petroleum Ministry today said it was considering reviewing the petrol pump allotted to his wife, Mrs. Lilly George.

The Petroleum Minister, Mr. Ram Naik, said his Ministry came to know about the allotment of the pump to Mrs. Lilly George while pursuing the allotment of land for allotment of petrol pumps and CNG stations to Kargil war widows.

Mr. Naik said that after he was informed by the DDA officials about clearance of Mr. George's case he had asked for the file to inquire into the ``compassionate grounds that his wife was allotted the petrol pump.''

The Minister said that since the file had gone missing he had put the entire issue on hold and had directed the HPCL to find out the details before going ahead with the allotment. ``I have asked them to find out from the party on what compassionate grounds the petrol pump was sought.''

Goes on leave

Significantly, Mr. George has proceeded on leave from his job. The Congress spokesman, Mr. Jaipal Reddy, sought to put the matter in perspective. He pointed out that the petrol pump had been allotted in 1991, but Mr. George's family did not avail of the offer. It also did not file an application for renewal of the offer. Normally, once the offer is not taken up within three months, it lapses.

Mr. Reddy, without saying it in so many words, made the case that the Government had dug up the case nine years after the allotment was made to try frame Mr. George and deflect attention from the mess that it finds itself in the aftermath of the Tehelka expose.

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Section  : National
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