Name: Coal scam: Manmohan Singh defends decision to allocate blocks to Hindalco
Uploaded: 2015-01-21T18:36:27+05:30
Description: "There was no deviation in allocation of Talabira mines to Hindalco," Singh told the CBI during his interrogation.

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New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has defended his decision to allocate coal blocks to Hindalco and said it was approved after due deliberations. 
 
According to details of the CBI examination of Singh in the coal block allocation scam case accessed by CNN-IBN, the former prime minister is learnt to have said the decision was right and it was taken after due deliberation. "There was no deviation in allocation of Talabira mines to Hindalco," Singh told the CBI during his interrogation on Monday. 
 
He said there was no quid pro quo involved in the allocation of coal blocks to Hindalco. 
 
CBI sources said the agency will examine former principal secretary TKA Nair to Singh and other officials of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). 
 
Reacting to the CBI interrogation of Singh, Environment Minister Prakash Javedekar alleged that the Congress had forced SIngh into the coal scam and that the former PM has a lot of explaining to do. "Congress should be blamed for this day and not us. It was the Congress which forced Singh to do such a thing. He has lot to explain. He was the coal minister. CBI is following due process," Javadekar said. 
 
Singh was questioned on January 18 at his Motilal Nehru Marg residence. A team of top CBI officials, including a DIG, questioned the former prime minister. Questions related to his knowledge about allocation and reasons for making deviations for a specific case were asked, the sources added. 
 
Singh is the first former prime minister to have been interrogated in any case. The interrogation comes ahead of the filing of status report before a special CBI court by January 27. 
 
Singh's examination was in connection with allocation of Talabira II block to Hindalco when he was also holding the portfolio of coal and in pursuance of the court's December 16 order. The Supreme Court has not allowed the CBI to file closure in many cases and asked the agency to take the nod of the Vigilance Commission before filing closure report. 
 
Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "A former PM without standing on prestige or protocol, without delay or without any obstruction has given full cooperation in terms of quickly answering all questions. He has nothing to hide and I think he needs to be appreciated for this." 
 
The sources said Singh was examined about the developments which took place in the Ministry of Coal as well as the PMO after industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla had written two letters dated May 7, 2005 and June 17, 2005 to the then PM requesting for allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco. 
 
CBI had received a wrap on its knuckles as Special Judge Bharat Parashar had refused to accept the closure report in the case observing that it would be "appropriate" that the then Coal Minister (Singh) be "first examined" regarding various aspects of the matter.

Coal scam: Manmohan Singh defends decision to allocate blocks to Hindalco

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"There was no deviation in allocation of Talabira mines to Hindalco," Singh told the CBI during his interrogation.

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Coal scam: Manmohan Singh defends decision to allocate blocks to Hindalco

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