With the Opposition gunning for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Coalgate scam, the government has begun preparing its line of defence. The Prime Minister’s position has become somewhat vulnerable following the presence of a joint secretary in the PMO at the controversial meeting to dilute the CBI’s draft report on its investigation of the Coalgate scam.
“The Prime Minister came to know much later of the developments and will take necessary action” is likely to be the government’s shield against the Opposition onslaught. After the exit of Union law minister Ashwani Kumar, the PMO is now looking at the option of shifting the joint secretary who allegedly played a role in making amendments to the report.
Sources revealed that the government was planning to take the stand that the PM “need not always be aware of the movements of the joint secretaries in the PMO”. It was also being argued that if a Union minister “asks a joint secretary to offer suggestions on a particular report, he need not seek the permission of the PM and can attend the meeting on his own”. It was maintained that the Prime Minister can be briefed later.