New Delhi: Launching a fresh attack against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare called him a remote-controlled leader. Rejecting CBI probe into the alleged coal block allocation scam between 2006-09, Anna asked why an independent probe had not being ordered.
"If there is no problem then why are you (PM) scared from investigation? And I think we should not call for a CBI investigation into this. There should be a retired judge and other people probe the scam," said Anna.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case in the coal block allocations case of 2006-09 on Friday. The CBI registered a preliminary enquiry into the coal block allocations, after the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) referred the allocation between 2006 and 2009 for a CBI probe.
The CVC has asked the investigating agency to complete the inquiry in three months.
The anti-corruption activist also said that the government's claims that no UPA minister is corrupt are false. "You can see ministers of this government are going to jail and they claim nobody is corrupt," pointed Anna.
However, Anna said that he believes the Prime Minister was not involved in the coal block scam. "I don't think the Prime Minister will take the money but he did that for somebody, we have doubts. We should not ask for anybody's resignation without the probe. I think all this is happening because of remote control design."
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office had turned the tables by accusing BJP president Nitin Gadkari's son of benefiting in the deal. "Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's government allocated coal blocks to those close to BJP President Nitin Gadkari. The issue was not allowed to be raised in the Assembly," said Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanswamy.
Team Anna had earlier stayed firm on its allegations against the Prime Minister and had also questioned as to why didn't he say he'll go to jail if the charges were proved. "We reject a CBI probe into the coal block allocation. The CBI will give a clean chit to the Prime Minister," Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal had said.
"If we are not scared of an independent investigation, then why is the PM running away from it?" said Kejriwal, adding that there was a need of the probe to find out who decided not to auction the coal blocks.
The allegations in the coal blocks scam say that that there was a delay of nearly two years in auctioning process, allegedly designed by the Coal Ministry to benefit some companies. It also says that the allocation of blocks to 156 companies was not proper as they handed over operations to other companies at a premium and that allotees outsourced it to third parties at a premium.
It is also alleged that the price of 1,700 crore metric tonne of coal worth Rs 51 lakh crore was given almost free to private companies.
However, both the PMO and the government clarified that the process was transparent, done through a select committee and that even some BJP states have much to answer for, as few had opposed the auction of coal blocks.
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