PM's clarification on missing Coalgate files won't restore calm in Parliament

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finally spoke on the topic of missing Coalgate files in Parliament but it finally was just a statment that did not respond to any of the pointed questions or clarifications sought by a united opposition. The PM may have had a lot to answer for but he chose to be brief, only adding a few additional points to the  statement made earlier by coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal. Speaking in both Houses of Parliament today, Singh said that “it would be premature to say that some papers are indeed missing”. While making an extempore statement on Friday in the Rajya Sabha, Singh had sounded almost irritated, claiming neutrality in the matter and saying that he “was not a custodian of files in coal ministry”. However, on Tuesday the Prime Minister sought to give the impression that he and the government were committed pursuing the investigation with great zeal and the opposition was needlessly making it an issue against him. [caption id=“attachment_1082173” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Singh in Parliament today stoutly defended his government. PTI[/caption] Note his words in Parliament today: “A  vast majority of the papers sought by the CBI have already been handed over to them. However, disregarding the factual position, some members have gone ahead and drawn their own conclusions that there is something fishy and the government is hiding something.” He concluded his brief statement by asking the opposition, “not to draw hasty conclusions and let the House continue with its normal business.” After making the statement, Singh left the Rajya Sabha, preferring not to hear out agitated MPs who were seeking clarifications. He then went to the Lok Sabha , where he read the same statement and reacted in a similar manner to the Opposition’s reaction. The pandemonium that followed instantly destroyed the fragile truce between the Congress and BJP that was established to pass key legislations. The disruptions saw that the two bills pushed so hard by the Congress – Land Acquisition Bill in Rajya Sabha and Pension Bill in Lok Sabha - couldn’t be taken up. Singh’s statement indicates the government is clearly trying to hide behind technicalities and isn’t revealing which files and how many of them pertaining to the 13 FIRs were missing. In fact Singh has gone a step ahead in terming it premature to say the filed were missing, given the coal minister in his two statements on 20 August and 23 August had admitted that a total of 245 documents were missing. Some of the documents have since been located. The Prime Minister certainly had a lot more to answer for than what he finally said in his statement in Parliament. Apart from the opposition in Parliament, the Supreme Court has also been scathing in its criticism of the government in its observations on missing files. While hearing the matter last week the apex court said, “Despite our repeated orders, certain files are not forthcoming by the coal ministry. Certain files, which have vital bearings on investigation are either not traceable or not available and some others are not readily available." “Is it an attempt to destroy records? Truth has to come out eventually and it cannot go on like this. How can inquiry and investigation proceed like this? Missing records may be the most important ones,” the apex court had observed. Going through the list of documents required by the CBI, the court had said, “You just cannot sit over the documents. All documents considered necessary by the CBI have to be made available. There cannot be any justification for not providing them. And if you cannot, cases have to be registered with the CBI.” As per the Court’s directions the government has another two two weeks to locate and submit the files to the CBI, failing which it will have to file a report with the investigating agency seeking “an appropriate inquiry and investigation”. The missing Coalgate files is politically critical to the ruling Congress as the scam with a presumptive loss Rs 1.86 lakh crore but also because it pertains to the period between 2006-09 when Manmohan Singh was minister-in-charge of coal ministry. Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the BJP would naturally like to keep the pot boiling. Parliament today saw the BJP, Left parties, TMC, AIADMK, SP, BSP coming together to take on the government, with a focus on Manmohan Singh over his remark that he was not a custodian of files in coal ministry. The government has never clarified that for what purpose, and on whose instructions, a joint secretary in the PMO had visited CBI headquarters and participated in meeting with law minister and law officers to tone down CBI status report on Coalgate. Though Singh had to sacrifice his personal favourite, the then law minister Ashwini Kumar, due to adverse observations made by the Supreme Court and pressure from the opposition, the officers concerned have not been disturbed. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley has said that the missing files indicated “destruction of evidence”. Jaitley has said that the cover up of the scam also amounted to contempt of court, destruction of evidence and conflict of interest since allocations were made arbitrarily. The files were made to go missing wipe out the proof of wrongdoing, Jaitley said. The BJP also intends to seek a breach of privelege against Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal over his statement that the missing files pertained to period prior to 2004 and insinuating that the those at the helm in the NDA period were to be blamed. Reports suggest that all important missing files relate to 2006-09, of the period under scrutiny when the PM presided over coal. In his subsequent statement, Jaiswal had said, “It would be wrong to describe all these as files. He then classified these as – 43 files; 19 applications of coal block allocatees/applicants; 157 applications of private applicant companies who had applied for allocation of coal blocks prior to 28.06.2004 but have not been allocated coal blocks; 17 other documents; and clarifications on 9 points”. The minister had added that some of them have since then had been located and were in the process of being handed over to the CBI but still a lot more were still to be found. But neither Manmohan Singh’s new found aggression, nor Sripakash Jaiswal defiance is cutting much ice with fellow parliamentarians in opposition benches or with the public at large. CBI director Ranjit Sinha’s recent statement perhaps sums it up best. “It definitely points to something fishy, I don’t know how this happened, but you can draw your own conclusions from this,” he had said.