A clean chit

The discussion on the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, exposed some personal predilections of our politicians. For one, Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab reminded the House that Coal Minister Piyush Goyal was a "good friend" and that he was worried about his friend's reputation. He said he wasn't quite convinced that the auction of coal mines was "foolproof" and that if in a few years, it was deemed that the whole process lacked transparency, his good friend's reputation would be at stake. Whatever course future events took, Mahtab said he was certain his friend was "clean".