Kejriwal orders probe into gas pricing, targets Moily, Deora, Mukesh Ambani

New Delhi Asking the Centre to put on hold the decision to hike price of gas to be implemented from April 1 Arvind Kejriwal told a press conference that the Anti Corruption Branch ACB of his Government has been asked to file a criminal case under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption ActKejriwal whose government survives on Congress support has been needling the party by launching probes into alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games projects and other issuesBut this is the first decision in which he has sought to target ministers at the Centre and a highprofile corporateFormer DG Hydrocarbons V K Sibal and RIL will also be arraigned in the case which will be based on a common complaint filed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subrmanian former Navy Chief Admiral R H Tahiliani eminent lawyer Kamini Jaiswal and former Union Secretary EAS SarmaDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during a press conference in Delhi where he accused the Reliance Industries RIL of raising the price of natural gas and said that with the new prices it would hit inflation across the country PicAFPAlleging collusion between ministers officials and RIL Kejriwal said the details in the complaint were shocking and were an assault on the countrys economic sovereignty amounting to antinational activityQuoting from the complaint the Chief Minister said the impact of the hike in gas price would cost the country a minimum of Rs 54500 crore every year and allow RIL to make a future windfall profit of Rs 12 lakh croreAttacking Kejriwal as ignorant Moily said he did not know how government functions He said fixing of price of petroleum products is done as per expert adviceI think I should sympathise with his ignorance He should know how the government functions how these things are doneI took special interest to ensure that the CNG and PNG prices are reduced You should know that he saidHowever CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta who has challenged the price hike decision in the Supreme Court welcomed Kejriwals decision Reliance Industries Ltd declined to commentThe Chief Minister said hiking the price of natural gas will have a cascading effect on the economy as rates of transportation power production fertilisers and food items will go up significantlyI am writing to Prime Minister and the Oil Minister to keep the decision in abeyance pending the probe I will also request PM to direct all ministries to cooperate with the probe Kejriwal said without explaining whether ACB has the jurisdiction to probe the caseOn ordering an ACB probe a government press release later said since most of the alleged offences including the most important decision to finalise the exorbitant hike in prices of gas have been committed in Delhi the investigation has been referred to the ACBKejriwal alleged that Reliance Industries Ltd was benefited as Oil Ministry decided to hike the natural gas price to USD 8 per million British thermal unit as against current USD 42 from April 1The government has already approved a proposal to price domestic gas at an average of international gas hub prices and actual cost of importing gas in its liquid form into IndiaQuoting the complaint Kejriwal said gas prices have been hiked with the sole intention of benefitting the RIL and no attempt was made to determine the cost of production independently and accuratelyThe government took no action against the RIL for its deliberate drop in production and ignored the CAG report and the then Solicitor Generals opinion in May 2012 and on the contrary accepted the RIL demand for doubling the gas prices from April 1 this year This is a clear case of causing unimaginable loss to the government exchequer said the complaintKejriwal said since the decision to double the prices of gas will become effective from April 1 this year when the term of the UPA government would almost be over it should have left the decision on gas prices to the next governmentKejriwal said the decision to hike the gas price from existing USD 42 Rs 26225 per mmbtu One million British Thermal Unit to USD 84 Rs 52420 per mmbtu will make the gas prices in India one of the highest in the worldIn case this price hike is allowed to take place it will make the life of common man miserable since it will have a cascading effect on transport domestic gas and even electricity prices he said alleging that RIL did not produce adequate gas from eastern offshore KG basin block so as to put pressure on the government to hike the priceWe believe that inflation is going up due to corruption We will have to take strict actions to weed out corruption It is a decisive battle for us Kejriwal saidKejriwal said the governments argument to hike the gas price based on international rates and not on the basis of cost of production was not acceptable Basically they were looking for some ways to inflate the price In the complaint it is also alleged that Reliance partner NICO still today is providing gas to Bangladesh at USD 234 dollar per unit he said