Coal-gate: BJP chief demands an apology

Hitting back at Union Minister V Narayanasamy for alleging that his close associate benefitted from coal allotments, BJP President Nitin Gadkari today said all those making such baseless charges should apologise or face criminal and civil suits from him.

The ‘coal-gate’ fight took a new turn with BJP chief Nitin Gadkari threatening to sue V Narayanswamy, minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, for dragging his name into the episode.

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Narayanswamy responded by saying that he was misquoted, and had not made any allegation against Gadkari.

A day earlier, Narayanasamy had alleged that Gadkari’s close associate, Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Sancheti, had obtained a coal block in Chhattisgarh at a throwaway price. He further said that though Gadkari may not have recommended Sancheti’s case, fact remains that both are close to each other.

“Sancheti is a big businessman and he got the contract through competitive bidding. Moreover, the contract was given one-and-a-half years before I became BJP president. I have friends in the business community as well as political parties,” Gadkari said. “I am not afraid of anybody. If there is no apology within three days, I will file a defamation suit.”