Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday slammed the government agencies involved in the excavation at Unnao in Uttar Pradesh in search of gold. “This will promote superstition. No government agency should participate in such works, which are based on a dream of a sadhu,” he said.
Referring to demands for including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name in the CBI’s charge sheet in the Coalgate case, he said certain norms should be followed before making such demands. It would relegate India’s name in the outside world.
It was improper to link Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name with the coal blocks allocation scam. “A person like him [Dr. Singh] who is respected all over the world for his clean administration should not be linked to the scam,” Mr. Pawar told reporters in Navi Mumbai.
The Nationalist Congress Party president sought to dismiss rumours that senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi would join his party.
“He is a staunch Shiv Sainik. As far as I know him, he will never leave his party,” he said.
Unscientific: CPI
The CPI has termed the excavation “unscientific and absurd” and asked the Centre to stop it immediately
In a statement, general secretary Sudhakar Reddy said that if the excavation was done any further, the expenses should be recovered from the Union Minister who proposed it.
