Manmohan Singh not to attend CWC meeting

Former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who has been summoned in the coal blocks allocation scam, will not attend the CWC meeting to be held at the AICC Headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, here today.

According to reports, the Congress leaders will march to Dr. Singh's residence after the meeting to express their solidarity with him.

The CWC members and Congress MPs will be present in today's meeting, which will be chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Earlier on Wednesday, a special court in Delhi summoned the former prime minister, former coal secretary P.C. Parakh, industrialist Kumar Manglam Birla and three others in the coal blocks allocation case.

The court summoned them for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. They have all been asked to appear in court on the April 8.

Extremely upset with the summons, the former prime minister had yesterday said that he is open to legal scrutiny and truth will prevail in the matter.

The case pertains to allocation of Talabira II coal block in Odisha to M/s Hindalco in 2005, when the then Prime Minister Singh was holding the coal portfolio.