This Article is From Aug 22, 2012

BJP objected to auction of coal fields, says coal minister

BJP objected to auction of coal fields, says coal minister
New Delhi: Coal Minister Shri Prakash Jaiswal addressing a press conference this evening, spoke about the storm over the coal report. Here are the highlights:

  • Everyone has the right to use Parliament for politics but it's not to be used only for political agendas
  • Opposition knows that if a debate takes place, it will be exposed  
  • PM had no obligation to meet the coal needs of the time and to help grow the economy
  • His decisions led to a high growth rate at a time when there was a huge recession in the US
  • State governments were consulted and their approval was taken for allocation of all coal blocks
  • But if the bidding process had been initiated, there would have been greater transparency and our government tried to introduce this but Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal - all state governments  aggressively opposed this because they said higher coal costs would hit industrial development in their states

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