Congress says Manmohan Singh’s integrity unquestionable, slams BJP

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Throwing its weight behind former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, summoned by court as an accused in a coal scam case, Congress on Wednesday charged the BJP with making cheap political capital out of it to divert people’s attention from the “black law” on land acquisition.

“Manmohan Singh’s integrity, fairness, impartiality and adherence to transparency is unquestionable,” party’s Communication department in-charge Randip Surjewala told reporters.

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He said even the CBI found the 15 per cent share to Hindalco in Talabira II and III in Odisha including recommendation of the then Coal Secretary P C Parakh to Singh as Coal Minister “to be above board, completely fair and transparent”.

Downplaying the special court’s order summoning the former PM as an accused, he said, “It is part of the ongoing judicial process. Manmohan Singh has always stood for transparency…..On examination of full facts, it will unequivocally (uphold) the fairness, transparency and integrity”.

Accusing the BJP of politicising the ongoing judicial process, he said the ruling party was raking up the issue to divert people’s attention from the “black law” on land acquisition.

Taking the battle to the BJP court, he alleged that Singh’s efforts to make the process transparent did not fructify for long as the concerned state governments ruled by the BJP opposed them.

On SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav’s reported remark that what had happened in the case of the former Prime Minister was judicial activism, the Congress spokesman said he would not like to make any comment on the ongoing judicial process.

Asked about the former Prime Minister being upset over the court order, he said it was but natural for any person who has led his life with honesty and integrity.

Earlier in the day, a special court here summoned Singh along with industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, ex-coal secretary P C Parakh and three others as accused in a case pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005 and asked them to appear before it on April 8.

Source:: Indian Express