The NDA on Saturday launched a fresh attack on the “rogue” Congress-led Government after reports emerged that it had toned down the CBI’s status report for the Supreme Court on Coalgate. It reiterated its demand for a SIT to probe irregularities in the allotment of coal blocks.
The BJP plans to raise the matter in the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament, beginning April 22. The Congress rejected the vetting charge and also ruled out the resignation of law Minister Ashwani Kumar.
The Opposition’s attack on the issue came in the wake of charges that law Minister Ashwani Kumar had summoned the CBI chief and the agency’s original report was changed and toned down.
“UPA is a rogue Government that will not allow the CBI to function independently. An SIT should be formed to look into the irregularities in allotment of coal blocks,” leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.
He also charged the Government with “interference in the administration of justice” by not allowing the CBI to acquaint the apex court with the full truth in
the case.
The Government’s interference in the CBI’s functioning was clearly evident after the CBI raided DMK leader MK Stalin’s residence just after the DMK’s pullout from the Government. The agency called off the raids mid-way after PM Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram went public making known their displeasure over the CBI’s act.
“The CBI cannot find out the truth. And even if some honest officer in the CBI tries to find out the truth, the UPA is a rogue Government which will not allow it to operate independently,” Jaitley said.
Jaitley also demanded that the CBI’s original unaltered report be made public besides being placed before the Supreme Court.
His lok Sabha counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, criticised the Government for “vetting” the CBI report and said it is part of “an attempt to save Prime Minister Manmohan Singh”.
She tweeted: “This is a very serious matter. This is evidence of the Government’s pressure on the CBI to save the Prime Minister.”
later, addressing Delhi BJP workers’ conference here, she said, “This is a big issue which would be raised in the coming session of Parliament. Coal block allocation scam was more important unlike the CWG and 2G scams, in which the Prime Minister was indirectly responsible. But in the coal scam, the Prime Minister was in-charge of the Ministry.”
She said the scam was directly linked to the Congress, “as even the Minister of State of this (Coal) Ministry was from the Congress and the Cabinet Minister was the Prime Minister himself.”
JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari also termed the charges as “very serious”, saying this is contempt of court.
“The Supreme Court is asking the CBI to submit its report and the Government is toning it down! To my knowledge such a thing is happening for the first time.”
Jaitley said the UPA is interested in “diluting the guilt of the culprits” and does not want the truth to come out. “When Ministers, civil servants and officials try to prevent the Supreme Court from learning the whole truth, this is interference in the administration of justice. The Government owes an explanation,” the BJP leader said.
He said the scam shows that favourites of the Government were allocated coal mines even when power plants in the country are starved of coal.
“This is now conclusive that the farce of being autonomous and independent which the CBI has attempted to maintain is now completely demolished and dismantled,” Jaitley said.
Unfazed by the attack, Congress rejected the charge of interference in the preparation of the CBI’s report in the coal scam for the Supreme Court and ruled out resignation of law Minister Ashwani Kumar in this regard.
“There is no question of resignation of law Minister Ashwani Kumar. The Supreme Court has already asked the CBI to file an affidavit in this regard. The CBI will file its affidavit and the truth will come out,” party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said.
“The matter is being investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court. BJP should wait and not try to misguide the country and not try to create obstacles in the way of investigations.”