Political Diary
New Delhi, 14 March 2015
Singed By Hot Coal
SINGH PAYS FOR
SILENCE
By Poonam I Kaushish
Political Delhi
continues to suffer from the Rs 1.86 lakh crores Coalgate gripes that saw coal
mining rights being assigned without transparency to private firms. Whereby, a
fresh blast of coal dust hit the Congress and stunned former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh with him being accused for illegal allocation of a coal block to
Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Hindalco at the coat of a public sector company. Leaving
the Sonia’s Party walking on hot coal suspended over a deep pit!
The saga has its genesis with Hindalco applying for two coal
blocks Talabira II, in Odisha in 2005. His application is rejected by the coal
screening Committee headed by then Coal Secretary Parakh as the blocks were
earmarked for public sector Neyveli Lignite Corp. But two letters to Coal
Minister Manmohan Singh and meeting Parakh later, the Coal Secretary overturned
his ‘considered’ decision rejecting Hindalco’s proposal and allots the blocks
to the private company.
In his 75-page order CBI judge Parashar has indicted Singh
for criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by a public servant “for taking
extra undue interest and a conscious effort to somehow accommodate the Birla firm
resulting in a windfall for the firm and huge loss to the country.” Indictments,
which attract a maximum sentence of 10 years. The former Prime Minister has to appear in
court on 8 April.
Besides, the ex-Prime Minister can't bank on CBI support
when he approaches the Supreme Court to challenge the trial judge's order
notwithstanding the agency's report seeking closure of the case on the
fallacious plea that there was no material evidence to prosecute anyone in the
alleged irregular allotment of the coalmines.
Ironically, Manmohan Singh now has the dubious distinction
of being the second former Prime Minister to be made accused and likely to be
charge sheeted. He follows in the footsteps of his “political guru” and a
predecessor Narasimha Rao, the first Prime Minister to be accused and convicted
for corruption in the JMM Bribery case in 2000.
Either which way, the smash-up of Manmohan Singh’s pristine
clean image has been damaged beyond repair. True, none doubt his personal
honesty, but what good is that integrity when he turned a blind eye to the
innumerable corrupt deeds of Ministerial colleagues and coalition partners
caught with their hand in the till. Justifying every scam, as “compulsions of
coalition politics.” Sic.
Specially, against the backdrop that not only was he heading
the Coal Ministry for some time when the scam happened but also because most of
the 142 coal fields allocated between 2004 and 2009 were given at undervalued
rates instead of using the auction route to favoured private parties who
instead of extracting coal sat tight (only 28 of 86 captive coal blocks
produced coal) thereby causing the national exchequer a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh
crores!
More damning, ex Coal Secretary P C Parakh said that he had
informed Singh about the potential fraud inherent in the discretionary
allocation of the captive coal fields and objected to it in writing in 20004.
Still all the coal blocks were allocated without auction.
Reportedly, the modus operandi was simple: Favoured private
firms first negotiated a price with the High Command, paid up and then mines
allotted to them allegedly on the recommendation of Sonia’s political secretary
Ahmed Patel. In fact, he made plain to the Congress that he had no role or
interest in determining who the beneficiaries should be.
The scandal came to light in 2012 when the CAG questioned
the Government's practice of awarding coal mining blocks at a concession to
companies without competitive bidding resulting in this mindboggling loss. This
bombshell paralyzed Parliament with the BJP demanding his resignation.
Making matters worse for Singh, the NDA Government has
already garnered over Rs two lakh crores from 31 coal blocks auctioned this
year. This also underscores the CAG’s estimates of loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores
to the national exchequer during Singh’s tenure as correct.
For the Congress the timing couldn’t have been worse
especially post its disastrous wipe-out in the Delhi Assembly polls and down to
a mere 44 MPs in Lok Sabha. Today the Party is caught between a rock and hard
place as the buck stops with Manmohan Singh and through him Sonia’s door.
Sonia’s fear stems from the likelihood that if the Prime
Minister is implicated it would impliedly nail her as he was “her man”. She
does not want a Bofors repeat which indicted her late husband Rajiv who lost
the 1989 elections. Hence the solidarity march to Singh’s residence and
assertion, “We are fully behind him. And will defend him with all our might.”
Sic.
Alongside, she is busy readying a battalion of top Congress
lawyer-leaders to defend Singh including ex Union Finance Minister Chidambaram
who had trashed the CAG’s report by averring, “When coal is still under Mother
Earth how can there be loss?” Today, he would be eating his words as the mines
auction have already netted the NDA Government over Rs 1.86 lakh crores and
counting.
Asserted a senior BJP leader, “Coalgate is the only issue
where we can nail the Manmohan-Sonia link”. Specially, the email trail between
the PMO, Coal and Law Ministries.
Meanwhile, the Rahul brigade dispirited by their icon’s
vanishing act feels it has found an issue. Left to them, they would like
Manmohan to spend at least a weekend in Tihar jail so that they marshal their
rank and file to take some political space. They feel Manmohan's personal
integrity is something that would lead to sympathy.
It remains to be seen if Prime Minister Modi who has minced
no words in bringing the corrupt to book will act against Singh and the Gandhi
family or let him breath easily.
What now? As a starter we could take a leaf from US and Westminster. In America
post the Enron scandal, the Senate’s Ethics Committee ensures Senators avoid
situations where they benefit personally from their official acts such as an
inside financial deal with an industry seeking a legislative favour.
Clearly, all eyes are on what happens next. It is time our
leaders understand that there are moments when cynical calculations of
political expediency become repugnant. Remember, in a democracy, public office
is more about perception of integrity, honesty and trust. One has to appear
clean besides being clean.
Manmohan Singh doesn’t tire of averring that Caesars wife
must be above suspicion. “I am upset, but this is a part of life. I will
establish my innocence,” asserted the 82-year-old former Prime Minister. The
buck stops with him. Now, please walk the extra mile! ----- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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