Coalscam: Jindal denies pressuring Koda with Cong support

Former MP Naveen Jindal today refuted CBI allegation in a special court that he had pressurised then Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda to recommend his firms for coal block, with a promise to garner support of the Congress Party for his unstable government.
Senior advocate S V Raju, appearing for Jindal, said his client had nothing to do with the Congress party's outside support to Koda's government from 2006 to 2008 and it was senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel who was concerned with it.
"I (Jindal) was only an MP of the Congress party and had nothing to do with Congress party's support to Madhu Koda's government in Jharkhand....There are statements of CBI witness who says that Koda had met Ahmed Patel in Delhi," Raju told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar during arguments on framing of charges.

"It was Ahmed Patel who was concerned with the Congress party's support to Madhu Koda's government. As far as support to Koda's government is concerned, I (Jindal) had no role in that," he said.
"As far as the alleged political compulsion of Koda is concerned, I had nothing to do with it. It was Ahmed Patel who was the concerned man," he argued, adding, "CBI's allegation that I was pressurising Koda, is vague."
This assumes significance as CBI had claimed in its charge sheet that Jindal, who was then a Congress MP, had conspired with Koda and promised to help him in completing his term as Chief Minister in return for allocation of coal block in Jharkhand to his firms.

Koda, who was an Independent MLA, was Chief Minister of Jharkhand from September 14, 2006 to August 23, 2008 with the support of Congress, RJD and others.

During the arguments, Raju said there was no evidence to show that Jindal had misrepresented facts to anyone and "vital links are missing in CBI's case and there is no common link which even prima facie show any conspiracy."
Jindal, Koda, former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao, ex-Coal Secretary H C Gupta and 11 others were chargesheeted by CBI in the coal scam case relating to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand to Jindal Group firms -- Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Ltd (GSIPL).

CBI had yesterday told the court that Jindal, Rao, Koda and Gupta had conspired with others to get the coal block allocated in favour of the two Jindal group firms.