Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (file pic)
New Delhi:
The BJP today said remarks of former Coal Secretary PC Parakh that the Prime Minister must be counted as a "conspirator" in the coal blocks allocation case were "not surprising". Mr Parakh also said that he should make public of how allotments were made when PM was in charge of the Coal Ministry.
"The time has come for Parakh to speak up. He has spoken a little; he should come out clean now, make public statements of how files were disposed of at that time (when the PM was in charge of Coal Ministry). ...how chits were received from Congress party headquarters in the PMO and PMO transmitted those instructions to the Coal Ministry for allotment of coal blocks," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said.
Mr Sinha's comments came after Mr Parakh, against whom CBI had yesterday registered a case in connection with the scam, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the final decision maker and must be counted as a "conspirator" in the case.
"I am not surprised that Parakh has said that the Prime Minister should be accused No 1 in the coal scam. We are all aware of the fact that he was the Coal Minister during the period of the coal scam and every allotment of coal block has been done with his signature," he said.
Mr Sinha also said how a person who finally approved the coal block allotments could escape responsibility and how more responsibility be put on those who just made recommendations to the PM.
"The time has come for Parakh to speak up. He has spoken a little; he should come out clean now, make public statements of how files were disposed of at that time (when the PM was in charge of Coal Ministry). ...how chits were received from Congress party headquarters in the PMO and PMO transmitted those instructions to the Coal Ministry for allotment of coal blocks," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said.
Mr Sinha's comments came after Mr Parakh, against whom CBI had yesterday registered a case in connection with the scam, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the final decision maker and must be counted as a "conspirator" in the case.
"I am not surprised that Parakh has said that the Prime Minister should be accused No 1 in the coal scam. We are all aware of the fact that he was the Coal Minister during the period of the coal scam and every allotment of coal block has been done with his signature," he said.
Mr Sinha also said how a person who finally approved the coal block allotments could escape responsibility and how more responsibility be put on those who just made recommendations to the PM.
