Targeting the Congress yet again, the BJP has sought to dragthe name of former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan in the sensationalcoal scam.
BJP's national Secretary Dr Kirit Somaiya demanded a probeinto the role of Chavan in the scam.
Dr Somaiya, who is a chartered accountant by profession andPresident of Investors' Grievances Forum, has already targeted School EducationMinister Rajendra Darda (Congress) and Public Works Department and TourismMinister Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) in the coal scam.
Somaiya has demanded an investigation into the allotment ofcoal mines from 2006-08 to private parties in Maharashtra.
According to Dr Somaiya, the government of India's coalministry had allotted seven coal blocks to the State out of which four were providedto private companies.
“Out of these four coal blocks three were marked tocommercial coal companies meaning that the coal extracted could be sold in openand for any amount. This was direct violation of the regulations laid out bythe coal ministry and all of this was done under Chavan's direction,” Somaiyaalleged.
Chavan who was forced out of the top post in November of2010 over his alleged involvement in the Adarsh housing society scam and hasbeen chargesheeted by the CBI, claimed that coal block allotments were done bythe State government and not him.
“This is ridiculous...he (Somaiya) is alleging that the coalblock allocations were done as told by me during my tenure as CM but the entirecoal block allocation rights are with the Centre. The State government has nosay in it,” Chavan told reporters in Mumbai.
Claiming that all allocations were done according toguidelines laid out by coal ministry, Chavan insisted that he had no role inthe scam.
“The allocations were done by the State government aftergoing through various aspects...what is wrong in the process and why mustanyone just allege anything,” Chavan said.
Dr Somaiya has taken up the issue of coal scam “ and hasbeen targeting the politicians of the ruling Congress-NCP alliance over thelast few weeks.
“The Congress-led UPA and Democratic Front government inMaharashtra comprising of Congress and NCP had surpassed all levels ofcorruption and the coal scam is just one of it,” a senior BJP leader said,adding that the role of Chavan in the coal scam would be taken up on nationalfora.
At a time when there is crisis after crisis for theCongress, the name of Ashok Chavan's involvement in the coal scam further putsa burden on the Sonia Gandhi-led party's Maharashtra unit.
