As rail minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and law minister Ashwani Kumar’s fate hung in balance during the entire day on Sunday, the Congress rejected Opposition’s demand for their resignation and backed them in the evening after the intensive core group meeting.
The high-level meeting held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 7, Race Course Road residence focused on the ongoing involvement of the two ministers in the Railgate and Coalgate respectively. Before the meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met defence minister AK Antony to discuss the issue.
After the meet, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewrai said: ‘The inquiry is going on in the railway minister’s case. In fact, he has welcomed the probe. We are not taking a decision till the probe is complete.’
‘On law minister’s case, the matter is with Supreme Court and is sub-judice. It is only on the 8th of this month that the case will be taken up,’ added Tewari.
When asked about their resignations, Tewari said, ‘No decision will be taken until investigations conclude. Let’s not prejudge.’ On allegations of the government interfering in the CBI’s functioning, he said, ‘UPA government has never interfered in any investigation.’
Bansal has been embroiled in a scam after his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested on Friday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the charge of accepting bribe to fix coveted position in the Railway Board, while Kumar’s name came under the scanner for vetting a CBI report on the coal scam meant for the Supreme Court.
Slamming the government for saving its ministers, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, ‘The Congress has double standards. If A Raja was made to go as telecom minister then why not the Congress ministers? ’
The high-level meeting held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 7, Race Course Road residence focused on the ongoing involvement of the two ministers in the Railgate and Coalgate respectively. Before the meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met defence minister AK Antony to discuss the issue.
After the meet, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewrai said: ‘The inquiry is going on in the railway minister’s case. In fact, he has welcomed the probe. We are not taking a decision till the probe is complete.’
‘On law minister’s case, the matter is with Supreme Court and is sub-judice. It is only on the 8th of this month that the case will be taken up,’ added Tewari.
When asked about their resignations, Tewari said, ‘No decision will be taken until investigations conclude. Let’s not prejudge.’ On allegations of the government interfering in the CBI’s functioning, he said, ‘UPA government has never interfered in any investigation.’
Bansal has been embroiled in a scam after his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested on Friday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the charge of accepting bribe to fix coveted position in the Railway Board, while Kumar’s name came under the scanner for vetting a CBI report on the coal scam meant for the Supreme Court.
Slamming the government for saving its ministers, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, ‘The Congress has double standards. If A Raja was made to go as telecom minister then why not the Congress ministers? ’