"We are not worried about the CVC asking the CBI to probe coal block allocations from 1993 as the NDA has nothing to hide. The issue here is who is bringing in the 1993 period and why. It is the Congress which has been demanding this as it wants to delay everything," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told PTI.
The BJP spokesperson maintained that as per the Comptroller and Auditor General, 2004 is the benchmark for the new developments in coal mining.
"The CAG has explained that global prices of coal increased phenomenally in 2004. The Electricity Act, 2003 also increased coal prices as private players were allowed to participate in power generation. The UPA government decided in 2004 that there should be competitive bidding in coal mining," Javadekar said.
The BJP leader alleged that CBI is being "used, abused and misused" by the government and this move is aimed at diverting attention from the scams and corruption of the UPA regime.
"In 1993, a Congress government was in power. Then governments of I K Gujral and Deve Gowda, both supported by the Congress, came to power," Javadekar said, reiterating that his party has no issues with the period to be probed.
"The point here is from when the issue should be investigated. You can even start from 1976 when Indira Gandhi nationalised coal mining or from the 17th century when coal mining started. This is just a delaying tactic," he added.