Law Minister says he has done no wrong, govt rules out his resignation

Under Opposition attack over the CBI affidavit on the coal scam issue, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar today said he had done "no wrong" and got support from the government which ruled out his resignation.

"I have done no wrong. Truth will prevail," he said after a meeting of UPA chaired by Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Kumar, whose sacking is being demanded by the Opposition parties, also met the Prime Minister to give his version on the issue. He also met Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath separately.

"There is no question of his resignation. He is not going to resign," Nath told reporters here after the meeting when asked whether Kumar had offered to resign.

With regard to the CBI affidavit, he said, "It is for the court to decide."

Suggesting that there was no wrongdoing by Kumar, he said CBI has stated that only the draft report was shown to the Minister and not the final report.

To a question why the officials of PMO and the Coal Ministry were also present during the CBI meeting with the Law Minister, he said the contents of the report were to be provided by the Coal Ministry and the Prime Minister had held the coal portfolio for some time.

"The legal aspect is looked into by the Law Minister," he said.

He spoke to media after Gandhi and the Prime Minister held consultations with UPA leaders in the wake of CBI affidavit filed in the Supreme Court earlier in the day.