Monday, December 12 2005 15:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya today (Dec 12, 2005) issued a legal notice to former Governor Romesh Bhandari for accusing a 'very close' associate of the senior BJP leader of involvement in Iraqi oil scam and asserted he had neither met nor had any dealings with ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's son Uday as alleged.

In a statement issued on behalf of Bhattacharya here, his lawyer R N Karanjawala said "my client has never met or had any involvement with Saddam Hussein's son Uday. Since he has had no connection with Uday, the question of him being a partner in any of Uday Hussein's companies does not arise".

Terming Bhandari's charges in an interview to 'Outlook' Hindi magazine as 'false, malicious and defamatory', it said, "my client has never had and does not have any partnership/company of any kind in Jordan. He has had no oil links in Iraq or Jordan or any concern with any oil deals of Iraq. He has also never done any business in or with Iraq".

"The passport details of my client would clearly reveal that my client has never travelled to either Iraq or Jordan", it said adding, "My client has also issued a legal notice to Romesh Bhandari".

Bhandari, who has served as an Indian Ambassador in Baghdad during the Saddam Hussein regime, had said in an interview to the magazine that "my sources have told me that a very close associate of Atal Bihari Vajpayee had direct contact with Saddam's son Uday who was smuggling and selling oil in which this person (Vajpayee's associate) was a partner". Asked to name that associate, Bhandari said, "I do not want to take his name nor do I consider appropriate to name him. It is your job find out the name."

Following Bhandari's allegations, Congress leader Ambika Soni suggested broadening of the scope of Justice R S Pathak Inquiry Authority into the Volcker committee findings.

BJP had termed the allegations as 'baseless'. "The reckless and malicious nature of the interview is abundantly evident from the fact that it was done in full knowledge that the independent inquiry committee report (Volcker Report) into the United Nations Oil-for-food programme for Iraq has only named three political figures from India in its report viz the Congress party, Natwar Singh and Bhim Singh. Neither my name nor the former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee finds a mention in the Volcker report", the statement by Bhattacharya's lawyer said.

It said though Bhattacharya was not specially referred to by name by Bhandari, "it was distressing and journalistically unethical" that the interview was carried in the English version of the weekly on its cover by publishing on its cover his photograph along with that of Vajpayee and a caption which stated "Vajpayee's close relative was in direct contact with Saddam Hussein's son. They had oil links".

"The said magazine and Bhandari have both sought to create a doubt that the person in mind is my client. It is regrettable that the said interview was carried without seeking my client's view on what was stated therein", Karanjawala said in the statement.