NEW DELHI, Aug 7:
Defence related purchases are slowing down in the country because of fear of corruption allegations and CBI inquiry, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah said today.
Addressing armed forces personnel at a function here, he said, “after the Bofors mess, people are scared before buying any weapons. There are fears that there will be a CBI inquiry or some probe.”
Doing some candid speaking, Abdullah, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy, said the Army must have the best weaponry and there can be no compromise on it.
“I have seen the day, when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee went to a hospital and spoke to an injured soldier who said he wanted to go back to the border with guns which weigh less and strike farther.”
The Minister also said that even after sixty years of independence a lot needed to be done and added that corruption was adversely affecting the country’s progress.
Citing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “In my own State, 70 per cent of energy is stolen. When I became Chief Minister in 1980, I thought the way I could stop stealing of power by making underground facilities for it.”
“No body moved to do it because then how would they make the money. The lineman has to take the money. The power consumption may be of thousand Rupees, but he will say give me Rs 50 and pay Rs 100 as the bill,” he added.
Citing another instance of corruption and inefficiency, that he had encountered, Abdullah said that he had visited an island in the Andamans where there were solar power panels which made him happy as the Renewable Energy Minister.
It was later that locals informed him that the structure had never functioned since the day it was installed.
Abdullah also said that when he as the minister for Renewable source wanted to add five per cent ethanol to fuel many lobbies opposed the move.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister claimed that by supporting a policy of terrorism Pakistan had created problems for itself.
“Our neighbour Pakistan has not learnt till now, I hope it will learn before it is too late. They created a tiger and now can’t ride it. And today, the same tiger is eating them up,” he said.
Abdullah also said, “We need to wake up if we want to become a great nation. We always say India shining, Go-go India. One billion people and we cannot win an Olympic gold medal, what a shame. And if there had not been the Army shooters we wouldn’t have won the silver.” (PTI)
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