Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks on missing coal files in Rajya Sabha
As promised, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened in a discussion on missing coal files in Parliament today, assuring both Houses that his "government has nothing to hide." (
Highlights)
The PM said that over a lakh files relating to controversial coal block allocations had already been handed to the CBI and efforts were being made to find the rest. "If the records are found missing, the government will carry out a thorough investigation and ensure that the guilty are brought to book," he said.
He added that the opposition "should not draw hasty conclusions" and let the House continue.
The BJP was clearly not satisfied with his short statement and senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad observed, "Sorry to say that the PM has been economical with the truth."
Before his statement, Dr Singh had to sit through a focused attack by an aggressive opposition.
"Most of the missing files are from 2006 to 2009 (a period when the PM held the coal portfolio)," the BJP's Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition, said, also asking, "Who in the government, Mr Prime Minister, will take moral responsibility? Destruction of evidence is a crime - have you registered a case? Are you investigating who is guilty?"
The senior BJP leader alleged that every conceivable element of bad governance had been seen in the case. Other opposition parties echoed him.
The government was forced to organise the PM's intervention today after the BJP reminded it that it had helped pass flagship bills on food and land acquisition in Parliament and said the ruling UPA must keep its part of the promise for a discussion on the missing files
In the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said Dr Singh was leaving for the G-20 summit in Russia tomorrow and so today was the only day for such a discussion. The extended monsoon session ends on Friday, September 6.
She also said that the Supreme Court's unrestrained criticism of the government over the missing files last week made the debate imperative.
The court said if the Centre did not hand over all the files, the CBI would probe how they went missing. The judges posed the same question to the government that the opposition has in recent weeks: "Is this an attempt to destroy records?"