Sahai kin director in coal firm: BJP
The BJP claimed that “Mr (Subodh Kant) Sahai’s brother is a director in these companies”. But the minister on Friday claimed his brother was on the board of the company as an “honorary director”. Citing the court order, Mr Sahai claimed his brother is neither a shareholder nor a director. He, however, admitted he had written the letter to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention for coal block allocation, and said he had done so in a bid to push for the development of his home state Jharkhand. “In future also I would make such recommendations for the development of my state,” he added.
Asked whether it was not a case of misuse of office as his brother was connected to the company, the minister countered: “I would not recommend any person on the street. We recommend somebody only after checking his antecedents.”
In a bid to turn the tables on the BJP, Mr Sahai also claimed that Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh was aware of the allocation. “Even Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had represented one of the parties as an advocate before the Delhi high court. Despite this, the BJP is levelling these allegations against me and disrupting Parliament,” said Mr Sahai.
While Mr Sahai had written to the PM on February 5, 2008, seeking his personal intervention for the allocation of two coal blocks to SKS Ispat and Power Ltd, the PMO had written to the coal secretary the next day recommending “appropriate” action.
Asked whether it was not a case of misuse of office as his brother was connected to the company, the minister countered: “I would not recommend any person on the street. We recommend somebody only after checking his antecedents.”
In a bid to turn the tables on the BJP, Mr Sahai also claimed that Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh was aware of the allocation. “Even Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had represented one of the parties as an advocate before the Delhi high court. Despite this, the BJP is levelling these allegations against me and disrupting Parliament,” said Mr Sahai.
While Mr Sahai had written to the PM on February 5, 2008, seeking his personal intervention for the allocation of two coal blocks to SKS Ispat and Power Ltd, the PMO had written to the coal secretary the next day recommending “appropriate” action.
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Section from cong wants sahai to quit
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Aug. 31
Section from cong wants sahai to quit
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Aug. 31
Even as coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal defended tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai for lobbying for his brother to get coal blocks for his company, a section within the Congress is of the view that the minister from Jharkhand will have to quit sooner or later with fresh evidence going squarely against him.
Claiming that the top leadership of the Congress practices “zero tolerance” towards corruption, as “we have already seen in the corruption cases relating to CWG, 2G allocations and Adarsh Housing Society”, leaders in the party on Friday expressed that with evidence coming to the fore against Mr Sahai, “he will be left with very little option”.
Notwithstanding party’s aggressive posture in countering the Opposition BJP’s smear campaign against PM in the light of alleged irregularities in coal block allocation, the leaders of the particular section believed that the leadership needs to also send a “strong signal” to masses assuring them that Congress “never spares the wrongdoers”.
Claiming that the top leadership of the Congress practices “zero tolerance” towards corruption, as “we have already seen in the corruption cases relating to CWG, 2G allocations and Adarsh Housing Society”, leaders in the party on Friday expressed that with evidence coming to the fore against Mr Sahai, “he will be left with very little option”.
Notwithstanding party’s aggressive posture in countering the Opposition BJP’s smear campaign against PM in the light of alleged irregularities in coal block allocation, the leaders of the particular section believed that the leadership needs to also send a “strong signal” to masses assuring them that Congress “never spares the wrongdoers”.
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