CBI affidavit on coal scam puts UPA govt in a spot again

CBI's embarrassing admission before the Supreme Court today that its draft status report on the coal scam was shared with the government put the ruling UPA in a political quagmire and the opposition baying for blood of both the prime minister and the law minister.
The government, which is already battling a combined opposition onslaught on the coal scam in Parliament paralysed over this and on the JPC report on 2G scam, also faced fresh charges that it was in a mood for "confrontation".
Unfazed by Opposition's demand after the CBI filed its affidavit, the government ruled out the resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar who said he has done "no wrong" in the matter concerning CBI's report to the Supreme Court. It also rejected the demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While the CBI's affidavit was silent on whether government made any changes in the status report, the opposition piled pressure on the government wanting to know whether any tampering was done in the draft report.
The opposition was of the view that the two-page affidavit conceals more than it reveals.
"The Government has been caught with its pants down," senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, as he accused the Government of being in a mood for "confrontation" and that it was creating an environment towards this end.

"Truth must come out," said CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury.
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha was also confronted with a volley of questions on whether any changes in the status report on probe in coal scam were made on the suggestion of the law minister.

"I will disclose everything before the apex court...,he told reporters.
Dropping a political bombshell, Sinha told the apex court that the agency's status report on coal allocation scam was "shared" with the Law Minister and senior officials of PMO and Coal ministry "as desired by them" before it was given to the judges.
"I have done no wrong. Truth will prevail," Kumar said after a meeting of UPA chaired by Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Singh.
Kumar, whose sacking is being demanded by the Opposition parties, also met the Prime Minister to give his version on the issue. He met Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath separately.

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