Apologise, or I’ll sue, Gadkari tells PMO MoS
“Coalgate” continues to trouble the Centre. On Saturday, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari threatened to take legal action against minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy for alleging that his close associate benefited from coal allotments.
Claiming that the charges were “baseless”, Mr Gadkari demanded an apology from him in “three days’ time”, failing which he threatened to file criminal and civil suits against the minister. The BJP intends to continue targeting the PMO on the issue.
Meanwhile, the CBI, probing alleged irregularities in allotment of coal blocks to private players and public sector enterprises between 2006 and 2009, is to seek “certain” clarifications from the coal ministry on Monday. Sources in the agency said, “A team of agency officials is expected to collect all relevant documents related to the allotment of coal blocks from the coal ministry.”
CBI sources reiterated that the probe would focus on the alleged irregularities in allocation as well as utilisation of coal blocks by the companies between 2006 and 2009. However, the agency indicated that the “preliminary probe will not look into policy matters related to the allocation of coal blocks”. The CBI on Friday registered a preliminary enquiry into the “Coalgate” scam. The PE will be completed in three months.
As a fierce political battle ensued between the Congress and the BJP over the issue, the BJP chief, taking on Mr Narayana-samy, said: “Honesty is my only capital. UPA leaders are levelling false charges against me. I have already discussed this particular issue with two of my advocates in Mumbai. I am in the process of pressing criminal and civil charges against all those making such allegations.”
Mr Narayanasamy, however, claimed he “never levelled any allegations against Gadkari”, and that he was “going by the CAG report”. He also claimed he was “misquoted”.
Mr Narayanasamy was quoted as saying that “Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh’s government allocated coal blocks to those close to BJP president Nitin Gadkari. The issue was not allowed to be raised in the Assembly.” On TV, he had indicated that RS member Ajay Sancheti, a friend of Mr Gadkari, also got a coal block at a “throwaway price”. Mr Narayanasamy had reportedly said: “I am not saying that Nitin Gadkari recommended him, but Ajay Sancheti is known to the BJP president. Both are from Nagpur and he might have.”
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