Coalgate: CBI can ask me anything, I'm not above law: Manmohan Singh

Asserting that he is not above the law of the land, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that he is ready to answer any questions by the CBI as he has nothing to hide in connection with the ongoing probe in the coal blocks allocation scam.

'I am not above the law of the land. If there is anything that the CBI, or for that matter, anybody wants to ask, I have nothing to hide," he said.

The opposition has been consistently demanding to probe Manmohan Singh over his government's allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha to a firm owned by industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla.

The investigating agency, had earlier on October 15, filed FIRs against Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Union Coal Secretary Prakash Chandra Parakh for alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy in allocation of two coal blocks in Orissa in 2005.

They said that all accused have been booked for criminal conspiracy.

The case relates to the allotment of the Talabira-II coalfield in Odisha to Hindalco Industries in 2005.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have repeatedly held Manmohan Singh responsible and have demanded his resignation for an estimated loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores to the national exchequer by the CAG in connection with the coal block allocation.