Manmohan summoned in coal case: Cong counters embarrassment with defiance

New Delhi: So Caesar’s wife is not above suspicion, or at least for now. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh being summoned by the CBI Court for his alleged role in the multi-crore coal scam is proof of that. Even as the soft spoken Singh prepares himself to face the court, the Congress is visibly upset at the Centre for precipitating the crisis. The coal scam is also referred to as ‘Coalgate’ where it is alleged that coal blocks were allocated in an arbitrary manner. Instead of following the procedure for competitive bidding, charges were levelled against the government for discrepancies in the system that helped a few private companies. The then prime minister also held the Coal portfolio between 2006 and 2009, a period under which the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) claimed in its 2012 report that the process led to losses of almost Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the state exchequer. [caption id=“attachment_2148297” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Manmohan Singh. AFP[/caption] Singh put up a brave face: “I am sure that truth will prevail and I will get a chance to put forward my case with all the facts,” he told reporters. “I have always said I am open for legal scrutiny. Of course I am upset, but this is part of life,” he added. But his party is not in an introspective mood and the defiance was there for all to see. At a time when the Grand Old Party has managed to push the NDA in a corner right from Land Acquisition to releasing separatists in Kashmir, the Court’s decision comes as a setback for them. “I don’t think anyone can believe that Manmohan Singh can do something wrong or corrupt,” said Kapil Sibal, former Telecom minister. “He always wanted to be on the right side of the law, yet he finds himself summoned. We shall defend Manmohan Singh with all our might,” he added. Though the former PM has always maintained that he is open to any scrutiny, Congress never thought that it would actually happen. Though Singh has not been charged for any crime, he has been asked to appear before the Court on 8 April to put forth facts relating to the case. The BJP had often accused the UPA of arm-twisting the CBI for political gains during their decade long regime (2004-14). “This is a poor attempt to politicise the judicial process,” claimed Randeep Surjewala, head of Congress media wing. “Manmohan Singh wanted to change the process of allocation to competitive bidding in 2005 but BJP-ruled states had opposed it,” he added. The Congress believes it has only followed in the footsteps of the previous government (Vajpayee-led NDA) in allocation of both 2G Spectrum and Coal, so there is little the BJP can complain about. But with the saffron brigade terming the move of Manmohan Singh being summoned as a black spot, the Congress doesn’t appear to be taking too kindly to the jibe. These summons relate to the allocation of a coal field to Hindalco Industries in 2005 which is a subsidiary of industry major Aditya Birla Group. The NDA regime had put on fast track the fresh auction of coal blocks that are likely to fetch close to Rupees 3 lakh crore. By highlighting this achievement, Modi has managed to show the contrast between the handling of country’s resources between the UPA and the NDA as well as point a finger at Manmohan Singh’s impeccable credentials. This move has forced the fuming Congress to run for cover, while giving BJP a much needed relief from a revitalised Congress in Parliament.