Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday rejected a demand for initiating probe against a Union Minister, belonging to DMK, reportedly involved in a company which has been allocated a coal block.
“Somebody must come with allegation that require investigation... somebody must say that this is what has caused under undue influence,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Noting that allegations have been levelled against various people including some media houses about their involvement in coal block allocation, he said, “somebody should substantiate specific charge that there was undue influence...we can then answer.”
The Minister’s comments came in the wake of reports suggesting Union Minister of State for I&B S. Jagathrakshakan’s involvement in a company that was awarded a coal block in 2007 despite the fact that it had no track record in the sector.
Mr. Khurshid said that while levelling allegations, whistle blowers must say the screening committee on coal block allocation was not allowed to do thing objectively and only then can “we admit (it) if we need a further enquiry.”
“...somebody should say this was predetermined and the screening committee just came and stamped it. Somebody must make allegation of that nature, take responsibility for it, substantiate with evidence,” he said.
Mr. Khurshid said Ministers in the UPA government will travel to various states from tomorrow to September 15 to present the “true picture” about the coal block allocations and “expose the lies of BJP”.
Keywords: Jagathrakshakan, coal scam, coalgate, CAG audit report, IMG on coal, coal block allocation
The burden of proof is with the govt in the event of corruption by a DMK
minister even if there is a slightest iota of doubt that is raised by a
allegation of impropriety and abuse of office. The accusing party need
not spend time with having to prove the allegations, at this point of
time the responsibility is on your shoulders to prove otherwise. You
might very well know you and your partners are going to loose big time
in the coming elections in 2014, so the burden of proof does not lie on
the hand of the public.
As expected they will never initiate probe in any scam till someone ask
for it directly. As there is no protection for the whistle blowers they
can harass who ever points finger at these corrupt politicians.
He is the Law Minister and lays down the Law pompously. He is also the Justice
Minister. When will he serve Justice? A simple question. What do the facts in the
Government's possession say? Why not come out with that, instead of asking for an
FIR from the whistleblowers, whose lifw may be at stake?
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