[hserus]

Originally Posted by VKumar

I am not very good at reading and understanding such statements like the one quoted by you. If possible, can you please elaborate a bit, connect the dots and explain it slightly?

Scania is talking about how their India team documented this gift in their account books.

They can’t very well list it as a gift to a politician so they seem to have split the bus cost up into Scania, VW vehicle finance etc multiple account books. A crore and a half, while the cost of just one bus, is a sum of money that still needs to be accounted for, GST paid etc.

[volkman10]

Once a favorite in promoting SCANIA, now in trouble:

Recap: 2019 Link1

We have Scania buses running on 100 percent ethanol in Nagpur. We will request the Petroleum Ministry to set up ethanol pumps alongside petrol and diesel pumps stations

2020:

As the minister denies bribery allegations.

Swedish news channel SVT’s reported that Scania had delivered a specially equipped bus to a firm with links to India’s Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. The vehicle was intended for the minister's daughter’s wedding, and was not completely paid for.

Link

[RM Motorsports]

Here is a very interesting story on the Scania-Gadkari Scandal. Its quite a long article.

https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/...s-outright-lie


After navigating through this maze of companies, it is difficult to understand how Gadkari could have suggested that he has nothing to do with the companies associated with the bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuWz0Vav-Jc&t=172s

[hserus]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

After navigating through this maze of companies, it is difficult to understand how Gadkari could have suggested that he has nothing to do with the companies associated with the bus.

I suppose he hoped that the transaction was sufficiently at arms length that it could not be traced back to him, and the bus was parked on the site of a defunct company, in a deserted factory to avoid detection. Congratulations to this reporter for finding out the bus, though I am sure a lot of people are going to accuse him of creating fake news.

[shreevishnu]

While we should take the report seriously especially the angle around a "guided" transaction at arms length without a paper trial to incriminate anyone, lets ask for balanced reportage.

The entire story is based on the logos emblazoned on the bus in question, registration and storage of the vehicle.
A lot of vehicle owners and bus operators are different people.
Infact most of the permit owners and vehicle owners are different.
So booked and run by someone else can be a common practice, with profit sharing.

While a lot has been written on Gadkari, his sons, and the pipeline, the article claims that Orange tours and travels is defunct and it leads to a cached website.
A little (infact almost zero) additional effort will show you how there exists and operated an Orange tours & travels, with very similar logos and all that jazz.
The clean chit here is a bit too easy, just saying.

If this reporter is willing to string along an elaborate ruse based on a lot of conjecture on how the scam happened, responsible reportage will mean you investigate all angles not just the one convenient to get more readers. Kudos for initial effort, but full story not just some sides.

[hserus]

Here is a lot more detail than before

The Scania bus was apparently customised by Dilip Chhabria / DC Designs as well

The exact financial mechanism of the transfer is also mentioned

https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/04/...ri-as-kickback

[BlackBeard]

Originally Posted by GTO

Or that Volvo has become the default choice that bus customers ask for (like taxi customers ask for 'Innova')?

I think the name VOLVO has become synonymous with "luxurious" bus travel in India.

Some fleet operators in Southern India operate Scania & Mercedes Benz buses too. I have seen 1 Mercedes Benz bus ticket stating MB VOLVO...