Congress brass meets Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel on coal block issue

The Congress central leadership on Sunday held discussions with the party chief ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to end the stalemate arising out of the delay in Chhattisgarh giving environmental/forest rules clearance to the coal mines allotted to Rajasthan. The meeting is also learnt to have discussed the possibilities of Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel governments offering political safe houses to the Congress MLAs of the poll-bound states in case of hung verdict and post-poll poaching operation from BJP.

During the meeting, the two CMs met Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and K C Venugopal. Sources privy to the meeting said all sides are hopeful of 'an amicable solution' to the Rajasthan government's desperate push for the environment and forest departmental clearance by the Chhattisgarh regime for the Parsa East and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal block and Parsa and Kente Extension coal blocks. After the two state governments failed to sort out the issue between themselves, Gehlot had approached the Congress high command by pointing out that the delay would adversely hit the electricity supply in Rajasthan now. While the Centre has given clearances to these coal blocks under the commercial operation of a major private firm, Chhattisgarh has been still holding on by looking into the concerned environmental and forest laws.

"Detailed discussions on the ongoing elections in five states were held. There are challenges posed by the present central government under which democracy and the Constitution are facing threat . The Congress is the only opposition party from which people have expectations," Gehlot told media persons after the meeting.