Subodh Kant Sahai cornered by letter to PM on coal block allocation to brother

Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai, who is embroiled in a controversy over allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand, on Friday targetted BJP but was cornered over the letter he had written to Prime Minister recommending a company in which his brother is a director.

"This debate is sandwiched between a Delhi High Court judgement and bunch of lies being spread by BJP. Parliament is not able to function due to their lies even as the whole country is watching," Sahai said at a press conference called by him to clear his name in the coal allocation controversy.

To a question, he ruled out resigning from the government and shot back, "For what".

BJP has produced a letter written by Sahai to the Prime Minister seeking his "personal intervention" for allocation of two coal blocks to SKS Ispat and Power Limited, in which, the party said his brother Sudhir K Sahai is a director.

Asked about the allegations, the minister maintained that his brother was on the board of the company as an "honorary director".

Sahai cited the court order to argue that his brother is neither a shareholder nor a director.

However, he accepted that he had written the letter to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention for coal block allocation. He insisted that he has done so for development of the state.

"In future also, I would make such recommendations for the development of my state (Jharkhand)," Sahai said.

Asked if it did not tantamount to misuse of his office as his brother was connected to the company, Sahai said, "I would not recommend any person on the street. We recommend somebody only after checking his antecedents."

He alleged that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh was aware of the allocation and said that Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had represented one of the parties as an advocate before Delhi High Court.

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