With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mounting pressure on the UPA Government over a media report that it had vetted the Central Bureau of Investigation”s coal scam report and demanding an SIT probe into this scam, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Saturday said the investigating agency has already articulated its position and there is nothing further either to add or subtract to that.
“It”s a tradition among lawyers not to comment on matters which are sub-judice in the courts. And if I have been instructed properly, the Central Bureau of Investigation has already articulated their position and we have nothing further either to add or subtract to that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja lashed out at the Centre, saying it is misusing the CBI to fulfill its vested interest.
“This is outright interference in the work of CBI, which is supposed to be independent, objective and impartial. But this is a classic case of how the ruling party interferes in the work of the CBI, misuses CBI, abuses CBI to promote their own interests and to save their own skins,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley earlier in the day termed the media report on coal scam to be interference in the administration of justice, and demanded an SIT probe into this scam.
“The farce of being autonomous and independent, which the CBI has attempted to maintain, is now conclusively and completely demolished and dismantled. CBI cannot go to the root of the matter, CBI cannot find out the truth. And if some honest officer in the CBI tries to find out the truth, the UPA — a rogue government- will not allow it (the CBI) to operate independently,” said Jaitley.
“And that is why the search for truth in the coal scam has now been interfered with. That this should be done at the level of Minister and the officials of the PMO itself raises serious questions. The UPA is interested in diluting the guilt of the culprits. And therefore, what dilutions are to be made in this report is obviously what the agenda of this meeting should have been,” he added.
Jaitley further said the coal scam clearly shows that the allocation of coal was a tainted one.
“It was a case of nepotism. The power plants in the country are starved of coal and the favourites of this government were allocated the coalmines. And therefore, actual mining has not begun,” he added.
According to a report published by the Indian Express, the CBI report submitted last month had been vetted by Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and officials in the Prime Minister”s Office (PMO).
The report said senior CBI officials, including director Ranjit Sinha, were summoned by the Law Minister days before the status report was filed.
“During the meeting, several amendments in the status report were suggested and some also incorporated by the CBI,” the report added.
The alleged coal scam washed out the Monsoon Session of Parliament after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said the under priced sales of coalfields might have cost the exchequer a loss of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore.
The BJP is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was coal minister between 2006-2009, when many of the sales occurred. (ANI)