Coalgate: CBI to name PMO official

[1]

New Delhi: The government could be in for more trouble as the CBI is all set to reveal the names of senior officers in the law and coal ministries as well as the Prime Minister’s Office and the role played by them in allotment of coal blocks to various beneficiaries.
These names are expected to be included either in the fresh affidavit to be filed by the CBI on May 6 or a separate status report that may be submitted by the agency in a sealed cover to the court. The matter will be heard by the Supreme Court on May 8.
It is being claimed that the names of these officials were dropped after the CBI shared the draft probe report with the law ministry and the PMO. Law minister Ashwani Kumar told Congress leaders on Wednesday that he had “done no wrong” and that the party must counter the Opposition attack.
Trouble, however, continues to brew for Kumar, with some reports indicating that he wanted the CBI to change its counsel for the arguments before the Supreme Court. But with the court severely criticising the government for “interfering” in the probe report, the law ministry tried to defend itself on Wednesday by describing the changes in the report as “suggestions of a minor nature.”
The ministry also reportedly tried to shift the onus on to the CBI, by stating that “since the relationship between the CBI and the law ministry is one of client and lawyer, the CBI was always free to accept or reject any suggestions,” sources said. A section in the government and in the Congress described the ministry’s defence as “weak.”
Congress divided over Ashwani
The so-called amendments in the draft report on the coal scam were reportedly carried out during the meeting at the law minister’s office on March 5.
Those present at the meeting were CBI director Ranjit Sinha, attorney-general Goolam E. Vahanvati and additional solicitor-general Harin Raval. Later, a PMO joint secretary also intervened.
It may be recalled that in a severe indictment of the UPA government, the CAG report on coal stated 57 coalfields were allocated to 100 private companies in 2005-2009 instead of being auctioned or brought under competitive bidding. This, the report said, “was an opaque, subjective allotment, and caused these private companies to benefit to the tune of Rs 1.86 lakh crore.”
Though that report did not name Manmohan Singh directly, the Prime Minister had been in charge of the coal portfolio between November 2006 and May 2009. He therefore lay exposed to Opposition attacks. Some of the beneficiaries included JSPL, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Sponge, JSW Steel Ltd, Essar Power Generation, Adani Power and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd.
Opinion within the Congress, meanwhile, was divided on Wednesday over the fate of the law minister — whether he should continue in the government or should go.