It is not so much the details that are important, it is the fact of a prominent Congress MP and a former minister of state being jointly investigated for having entered into a conspiracy to bag a coal mine in the broader case that is now being frequently referred to as “Coalgate”.
The thrust of the CBI’s efforts in this matter has already made people point fingers at several influential people associated with the Congress. This has diminished the stature of the UPA government. When the next Lok Sabha might be less than a year away, this can hardly be a solace to the Congress even if its top leaders are not involved in the scam.
The charge against Naveen Jindal, a Congress MP and a major industrialist with steel interests, and Dasari Narayan Rao, figures in a fresh FIR filed by the CBI in the course of Coalgate investigations, in which a dozen FIRs have already been filed. As minister, Mr Rao was in a position to influence the screening committee that gave away coal blocks, in many instances to companies that did not have the credentials or pressed their claims on false grounds. Mr Jindal’s application for the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand allegedly falls in this category. As there are grounds to think that Mr Jindal’s company was unduly favoured, there are naturally grounds to believe that this would not have happened without the greasing of palms.
When petty bureaucrats, contractors, minor politicians and punters and hustlers play this game, they can be marched off to the care of the law without fuss. But when politicians and businessmen of top rank are charged with blatant wrongdoing, it begins to stink.
At this stage, no one booked by the CBI in Coalgate can be deemed to be guilty. The investigative agency may well be floating on the basis of insufficient or shoddy evidence in some cases. However, the direction seems to be clear. Those with pull with the ruling parties at the Centre or in the states — no matter which party governed them, and regardless of the period — were able to land mining assets with relative ease.
This, in essence, is the real Coalgate scandal, and needs to be seen as something distinct from what the CAG pointed out. The CAG had, in effect, questioned the government’s decision not to auction coal blocks, arguing that the auction route would have eliminated hustlers. But auctions can also be fixed to suit certain interests. The real point is that way too many small and big, and real and phoney, capitalists with the right political links hit the jackpot. The government must take every step to facilitate the CBI investigation.