M A I N   N E W S

UPA ally SP trains guns on Jaiswal
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 11
The UPA government was again in the firing line with the BJP today demanding an enquiry into the latest reports on coal block allocations while Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal was the target of attack by the ruling combine’s ally, the Samajwadi Party, for the first time since the controversy erupted.

Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav accused Jaiswal of having committed serious irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks during his tenure as coal minister.

In an interview to a news channel, Yadav alleged Jaiswal had allotted three coal blocks a little over an hour after taking charge of the ministry.

Continuing with its criticism of the UPA government, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad referred to fresh reports which reveal that former coal minister Santosh Bagrodia’s brother had been alloted a coal block worth Rs 23,000 crore during his tenure.

Jaiswal also came under fire for allegedly helping a firm acquire a lucrative contract at the cost of PSU Singareni Coalfields. “It is truly amazing that the entrepreneurial skills of the kith and kin of UPA ministers shine only when the brothers are ministers,” said Prasad, adding that all these cases need to be properly investigated.

Stating that the relatives of Congress leaders and their allies had benefited in the allocation of coal blocks, Prasad referred to Subodh Kant Sahay, Vijay Darda, Prem Kumar Gupta and S Jagatrakshakan in this connection. Jaiswal has repeatedly stated that no coal blocks were allotted during his tenure and only allocation letters were issued to promoters whose applications had been approved before he took charge.

Fresh Trouble

Fresh reports reveal that former Coal Minister Santosh Bagrodia’s brother had been alloted a coal block worth Rs 23,000 crore during his tenure. The BJP wants a probe into it.

Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav, on the other hand, alleged that Coal Minister Jaiswal had allotted three coal blocks a little over an hour after taking charge