JOIN USUnder attack from the BJP and other opposition parties over alleged irregularities in allotment of coal blocks, Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal on Tuesday dared his opponents to prove the allegations of nepotism.
“When there was no allotment during my tenure as coal minister, where is the question of me allotting the coal blocks to my relatives,” Jaiswal told reporters here.
“BJP leaders are lying...let them come to my office on Wednesday and procure all the information...I challenge them..I will tender an apology if allegations are proved, or else they should apologise,” he said.
The minister also denied having any relation with Manoj Kumar Jaiswal, whose company was allegedly allotted coal blocks. Jaiswal said: “The lies of the opposition parties on this issue would have been exposed had the Parliament been allowed to function.”
The minister also defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said it was he who had initiated a transparent method for allotment of the blocks. “The BJP chief ministers vehemently opposed the attempts to adopt auction process,” he said.
Jaiswal said as many as 198 coal blocks were allotted between 1993 and 2009 and none later.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Jyotiraditya Scindia in Patna on Tuesday sought to turn the coalgate heat on the BJP and said that those levelling charges against the Congress-led UPA were themselves beneficiaries over the years. To buttress his point, he cited the case of Ajay Sancheti, considered close to the BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who was allocated coal blocks. “Why only Ajay, even Adani groups, who are perceived to be close to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, had benefited from coal block allocation. Similarly, Sushma Swaraj’s Bellary brothers and RSS-backed Prakash Industries had been major beneficiaries,” Scindia said while addressing newsmen here on Tuesday.
“During the NDA regime, 37 coal blocks were allocated between 1998-2004. While 19 went to private players, the rest 18 were offered to government companies. In those days, there was no system of screening committee or competitive bidding. Allocations were made merely on the basis of recommendations. It was only after the UPA-1 government came to power that the new rules were framed,” he said.