AUG 21- Mail Today’s expose that the missing coal ministry files pertain to companies linked to Congress politicians created a storm in Parliament that stalled Sonia Gandhi’s pet Food Security Bill on Tuesday.
The coal block allocations to 13 companies now named in FIRs in the CBI’s investigation were made between 2006 and 2009. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held the coal portfolio when several of these allocations were made.
The Opposition uproar in Parliament forced the UPA to abandon attempts to introduce the Food Security Bill despite the government’s elaborate preparations to bring the Bill.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had personally called on MPs to be present and a deal had been cut with the Samajwadi Party, BSP and JD(U) that the government would be flexible over their amendments to the proposed bill. Sonia Gandhi also had an emotional reason to get the bill introduced in Parliament on August 20: it is the birthday of her late husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. But the Coalgate storm spoiled the party.
Sources say she is unhappy that Congress party managers and the government failed to forecast the storm over the missing Coalgate files and wants to know why preemptive action wasn’t taken to minimise damage.
Mail Today had revealed in its edition of Tuesday that many missing files crucial to the CBI’s investigation of Coalgate belonged to companies related to a Congress MP. CBI director Ranjit Sinha had also told Mail Today that it was a big setback to the agency’s investigation. “The Government will have to come with cogent answers. They have said some files have gone missing before 2004. There was nothing before 2004, the real problem is only of allocation post-2004,” BJP leader Arun Jaitley told Mail Today.
“Why should we distract from the food bill? This is a serious matter. Destruction of evidence is a crime, has an FIR been registered?” Jaitley asked.
‘A huge crime’
Asked about the missing files, he said, “It is a huge crime. The case is under investigation, how can files disappear like this? There are three powerful targets of investigation – the beneficiaries who benefited from coal blocks, the screening committee which allotted the mines and the minister, the minister’s office and the Prime Minister’s Office. And suddenly the files are found missing,” Jaitley added. Asked about the party’s strategy, he said, “The party will have to take a collective decision.”
Opposition members are worried that if the files are not found, the case being built by the CBI might collapse for want of evidence and powerful people, in this scenario, would be let off the hook. Of the 13 companies against whom the CBI filed FIRs, files related to 11 are missing. These include AMR Iron & Steel Private Limited, Nagpur, which was allocated Bander block in Maharashtra on May 29, 2009. The directors of this company – Arvind Kumar Jayaswal, Manoj Jayaswal, Ramesh Jayaswal, and Devendra Darda – have close ties to Congress MP Vijay Darda.
Another Darda company’s files are also missing. The company is M/s JLD Yavatmal Energy Limited, Nagpur. It was allocated Fatehpur East Block in Chhattisgarh on January 23, 2008. The directors are Vijay Darda, Rajendra Darda, Devendra Darda, Manoj Jayaswal, Anand Jayaswal and Abhishek Jayaswal.
Another company, M/s Vini Iron & Steel Udyog Limited, Kolkata, was allocated Rajhara (North, Central and Eastern) in Jharkhand on November 20, 2008. The company was sold later to Vijay Joshi, a close aide of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda (BJP).The directors are Sanjeev Kumar Tulsyan, Prashant Tulsyan, Vaibhav Tulsyan, Nisha Tulsyan, Vimal Kumar Tulsyan, Nirmala Tulsyan, Hemant Kumar Aggarwal and Navin Kumar.
In Parliament, the Opposition slammed the UPA government, sought a response from the Prime Minister and forced the adjournment of both Houses. The combined Opposition said it was “shameful” on the part of the government and it should explain what exactly happened and who was responsible. Cries of “Shame! Shame!” and “Pradhan Mantri jawab do (Prime Minister, answer)” were heard in Parliament. In the Lok Sabha the charge was led by Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj who said the PM should come to the House and assure members that the CBI probe would not be hampered due to the missing files. Claiming that the files included applications for coal blocks, she alleged that they have gone missing as some big shots in the Congress were involved.
INDIA TODAY
