Wednesday, April 19 2006 18:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Varanasi: BJP President Rajnath Singh today (Apr 19, 2006) accused the UPA government of 'shielding' beneficiaries of the Iraqi oil-for-food programme by trying to extend the tenure of the Pathak Committee probing the Volcker issue.

Singh also charged the Central government with focusing on former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh as the prime accused by leaking his questioning by various government agencies and diverting attention from the Congress and its top leadership.

"The term of six months for the Justice R S Pathak Committee probing the Volcker scam in which the Congress and some of its leaders are accused of receiving oil vouchers is coming to an end on May 11 even as it was far from completing the inquiry under the apparent direction of the government," he told reporters here.

He alleged that the UPA government was trying to extend the term of the Committee as it was "not sincere in bringing to book the beneficiaries of the oil scam".

Now it was unlikely that the Pathak Committee report would be tabled in the reconvened session of Parliament starting May 10, he said and demanded that the government release various documents regarding the controversy in public interest.

Singh, who is here on the second leg of his 'Bharat Suraksha Yatra', said the BJP would raise the issue in the coming session.