final decision maker
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7/27/2019 Final Decision Maker
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final decision maker, count him as aconspiratorFacing CBI charges of conspiracy and corruption in coal blocks allocation, former coal secretaryP C Parakh on Wednesday asserted that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the final decisionmaker and must be counted as a "conspirator", prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) todemand a through probe. Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Parakh and others have been booked by the CBI inconnection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha eight years
back.
After registering the fresh FIR with a CBI court, agency teams carried out coordinated searchesat nearly six locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar which included officesof Hindalco and residence of Parekh in Sikandarabad, Hyderabad.
Dubbing the allegation against him as baseless, Parakh said he saw nothing wrong in the
government decision.
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the decision. It was a very fair and correct decision that we took. I don't know why CBI thought that there is a conspiracy," Parakh said.
"But, if there is a conspiracy, then there are different members in this conspiracy. There is K MBirla who made the representation, he is one conspirator. I, who examined the case and made arecommendation, I can be another conspirator and the Prime Minister, who as the CoalMinister, took the final decision, is the third conspirator.
"So, if the CBI thinks there is a conspiracy, why did they choose and select Mr.Birla and me andnot the PM.If conspiracy is there, then everyone is part of the conspiracy," he told television
channels, adding that after Shibu Soren resigned as Coal Minister, the Prime Minister had thendirectly taken charge of the ministry.
BJP came out all guns blazing following Parakh's remarks, saying "Accountability of thePrime Minister and the PMO is equally important. Therefore, we demand a fair investigation."
Parakh's statement "merits serious consideration," BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha RaviShankar Prasad said.
Describing Parakh as an upright IAS officer, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said,"The time hascome for Parekh to speak up. He has spoken a little, he should come out clean now, make publicstatements of how files were disposed off at that time (when the PM was in charge of the CoalMinistry).
"...how chits were received from Congress party headquarters in the PMO and PMO transmittedthose instructions to the coal ministry for allotment of coal blocks," he said. BJP spokespersonPrakash Javadekar said it was "ridiculous" that Parakh, a whistleblower and one who suggestedcorrection in the system and introduction of competitive bidding, is being accused while thePrime Minister, who was the final authority, is not being held responsible.
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Congress said the matter is under investigation and is being monitored by the Supreme Court.
"Unnecessary speculation," should be avoided, Union Minister Manish Tewari said, adding thatGovernment has been "fully cooperating" on the issue.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said while Parakh was a free man, whatever he has tosay on the matter should be before the CBI.
CBI named 46-year-old Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, along with Parekh and unknownpersons and officials of Hindalco and Coal Ministry in the FIR, the 14th in the multi-crorescandal, for alleged criminal conspiracy and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption
Act.
Birla, Parekh and other accused will be called in for questioning, CBI sources said.
Birla has been named since the decision to accommodate Hindalco in the coal block, meant forPSUs only, was taken after he had a meeting with Parekh in the latter half of 2005.
The USD 40 billion (Rs.2.45 lakh crore) conglomerate has denied receiving any FIR and said theallegations against Birla were "preposterous".
Parakh said there were two applicants for the two coal blocks, the first was Hindalco and thesecond was Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC).
Since NLC was a state-owned company, the Screening Committee under the Coal Ministrydecided to make the allocation to it.
"At that point of time, Mr.Birla made a presentation to the Prime Minister, saying since hiscompany was the first applicant for the coal block and was equally eligible and competent for
allocation....therefore the decision should be reconsidered," Parakh said.
He said Birla had also met him with a similar representation. "Thereafter, I made a proposalthat along with NLC, we must also include Hindalco in this block. So, both of them were advisedto form a joint venture company."
Parakh said : "If ultimately the case goes to the court and the court finds that there is something wrong, I can't say I am not responsible. I am as much responsible as the PM if there issomething wrong."