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Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal today asked BJP leaders to stop their baseless allegations against him in the coal scam, saying the case was in Supreme Court.
Jaiswal said he had already challenged the BJP leaders to find an instance of his involvement in the scam. If they found one, he would quit politics.
Jaiswal, who is contesting for the fourth consecutive term from Kanpur, was talking to reporters responding on queries about allegations by BJP leaders like Narendra Modi and Murli Manohar Joshi.
Joshi, who is the BJP candidate from Kanpur, had earlier expressed surprise at his nomination from the city, against whose sitting MP he, as head of JPC, had ordered inquiry into the coal scam.
BJP Prime Ministerial nominee Modi, during a rally here, had said that Kanpur was covered by clouds of coal ash, in an obvious reference to Jaiswal's alleged involvement in the scam.
Reacting to the queries, Jaiswal said BJP leaders should stop making baseless allegations. "The Supreme Court is inquring into the coal block allocations till 2009 (in which irregularities have been found). I handled Coal Ministry after 2009. So why would I be included in the case?"
"I have already challenged BJP that if they found any instance of my involvement in the scam, I will quit politics, else they will have to do so," he said.
When asked about Modi wave across the country, the Minister retorted, saying, "I see only a development wave across the country. People want development, freedom from poverty, employment, and the UPA government is working towards this continuously."
Jaiswal said that during the last 15 years, there has been considerable development in Kanpur despite non-cooperation from the the state governments.
He refused to comment on Joshi's comments that he was an outsider in Kanpur, and said, "I am contesting for the all-round development of Kanpur."
Jaiswal also said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was to campaign here on April 24, but as elections were being held in neighbouring Akbarpur, it has been cancelled. He told reporters he had requested Rahul to inform about his availability so as to make necessary arrangements.
