India: JD(U) all set to corner PM Singh over alleged coal scam

[FILE PHOTO] 

New Delhi: Janata Dal (United), a key ally of main opposition - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is planning to stage a massive protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over his alleged involvement in Coal Mining Scam popularly known as ‘Coalgate’ in Indian press.

Talking to a news.BDTV.in representative, National Secretary of JD(U)’s Anti-Corruption Front, Kumar Sahil said, “We are soon going to organize a black march comprising of thousands of youngsters.”

Kumar Sahil, National Secretary,
Anti Corruption Front, JD(U) 

“However, the final decision over dates will be taken by the core committee meet headed by senior party leader like KC Tyagi, Sandeep Shakti and Chandrakant Tyagi, most probably on 1^st September,” he further said.

Coal Mining Scam or Coalgate is allegedly a corruption scandal in which the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the Government of India for providing the nation's coal deposits to private and state-run entities in an irregular and arbitrary manner instead of publicly auctioning them off to the highest bidder, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 186,000 crore (US$33.67 billion) to the exchequer during the period 2004-2009.

There were leaks of the report in media in March 2012 which claimed the figure to be around Rs 1,060,000 crore (US$191.86 billion).

It is called by the Indian media as the ‘Mother of all Scams’.