Coal blocks allocated sans procedure between 1998 and 2003, says Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress has accused BJP leader Arun Jaitley and others of 'selective amnesia' by citing a number of reported statements they made in the past, slamming the CAG.

Briefing the media on behalf of his party, HRD minister Kapil Sibal released a set of documents questioning the transparency of the coal block allocations made during the NDA regime.

"Allocation of coal blocks between 1998 and August 2003 was done without any procedure, whatsoever. Guidelines adopted for allocation of coal blocks to the public/private sector for captive mining allowed a freehand to the screening committee. "If the screening committee's procedures post-2005 are being questioned and presumptive loss calculated, what about presumptive loss on allocations made between 1998 and 2004," Sibal asked.

He said that if CAG was a constitutional body, so was the prime minister. "You can make allegations against prime minister but cannot criticise CAG. What kind of logic is this? If CAG is not a constitutional authority, is the prime minister not a constitutional authority," Sibal asked, while adding, "we do not agree with the CAG report".

Sibal cited statements of Jaitley, then minister of disinvestment Arun Shourie and then defence minister George Fernandes. Shourie was quoted as saying that CAG's methodology of computing notional losses was 'idiotic' and Jaitley was quoted as saying CAG's findings were 'hearsay'.

"It is time to refresh Jaitley's memory...BJP described the PM's statement in Parliament as an attack on both a constitutional authority and constitutionalism... BJP is undermining democracy by stalling a debate on the issue," Sibal said.