Sir — This refers to the editorial, “PM isn’t above the law” (October 18). After the coal block allocation scam burst into the open, there has been widespread unanimity in public opinion that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the Coal Minister during the time when the scam took place, cannot escape responsibility. Now, with the latest episode wherein the Central Bureau of Investigation, inquiring into the scandal, has filed an FIR, accusing then Coal Secretary PC Parakh along with Hindalco chief KM Birla, of a conspiracy to change the coal block allocation decision in favour of the Birla company, the allegation against the Prime Minister is firmly underscored by no less a person than a former Coal Secretary.
Mr Parakh, who has since retired, has had an impeccable reputation for honesty and transparency. But he stands accused in a bid to protect the Prime Minister. The former bureaucrat’s simple and valid point is that if he is a co-conspirator in the alleged dubious deal, so is Prime Minister Singh.