Break silence on gas pricing: Arvind Kejriwal to Narendra Modi

New Delhi:  Arvind Kejriwal, who quit as Delhi chief minister on Friday, today took to Twitter and asked BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to “break his silence on gas pricing.”

“Modi should break his silence on gas pricing. Also, what is his and his party’s relation with Mukesh Ambani and Adani?” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.

“Would 2014 election be fought between the Aam Aadmi Party and Mukesh Ambani, with Rahul (Gandhi) and (Narendra) Modi being agents of Mukesh Ambani?” Mr Kejriwal also
tweeted.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV yesterday, Mr Kejriwal had asked why Mr Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi are silent on industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s gas price issue. “I will write letters to Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi in a couple of days and seek answers from both,” he said.

An FIR or First Information Report was filed earlier this week by anti-corruption officials in Delhi against Mr Ambani, Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily and other policy-makers on the orders of the outgoing chief minister for creating an artificial shortage of gas in the country and raising its prices.

The Centre in December had cleared a price hike starting April 1 which is expected to result in prices that are double the current level. Mr Kejriwal has asked the Prime Minister to suspend that price hike till the issue is resolved.

Mr Kejriwal says his premise of a large scam is based on the plummeting output from the D-6 block off the Eastern Coast which is operated by Reliance. He alleges that Reliance has created an artificial shortage to “blackmail” the government to set higher prices. Reliance has blamed geological complexities, but the oil regulator believes it has not drilled enough wells.

Reliance has called Mr Kejriwal’s allegations “shocking” and said it could take legal action in response.