Never used office to enrich myself, family or friends: Former PM Manmohan Singh

In a scathing attack, Singh said institutions of democracy are under threat and the entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled in the guise of promoting faster economic growth.
   
"As far as I am concerned, I can say in all humility that I have not used my public office to enrich myself, to enrich my family or my friends. And still the BJP government keeps on harping on this theme of corruption because it wants to distract the attention of the people to non-issues," he said in a hard-hitting speech at an event here.
  
His comments came in the wake of former TRAI chairman Pradip Baijal's allegations that Singh had warned him of harm if he did not cooperate on 2G telecom licenses.

Baijal, who was probed for several years in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, also claimed that the CBI wanted him to "implicate" Arun Shourie and Ratan Tata in the case.

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Farmers suicide: Parties must together find credible solution, says Manmohan

 

His remarks came a day after a farmer from Rajasthan committed suicide during a rally organised by AAP here.

"This is a great tragedy that farmers are committing suicide. It is not a one party issue. All parties in Parliament and outside must pool in their wisdom, knowledge and experience to find a credible solution to this issue," he said speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex.

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Former PM Manmohan Singh, Kumar Mangalam Birla move SC against summon orders

On 11th March, special CBI court summoned the former Prime Minister as an accused in a coal scam case. Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary P C Parakh and three others were also summoned as accused.

The court summoned them for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. They have all been asked to appear before the court on April 8.

In September 2005, Parakh recommended the allocation of the Talabira-II and Talabira-III coal blocks jointly to Hindalco, Mahanadi Coalfields and Neyveli Lignite. Hindalco is an Aditya Birla Group firm. The-then prime minister, who was holding the additional charge of the Coal Ministry, had approved the proposal in October that year.

In October 2013, the CBI had filed an FIR in which it named Parakh and Birla for criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct. The CBI had filed its closure report in the case in August 2014, citing lack of evidence of wrongdoing against the duo.

However, the Supreme Court had in September last year pulled up the CBI for being in a hurry to close the case. The investigating agency filed its revised report in October.
Later in November, the CBI said that it has enough material on record to take cognisance of the offences.

However, the court asked the CBI as to why the former prime minister was not examined and in December directed the agency to record Manmohan Singh's statement.

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Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union Ministers in NDMC defaulters list

Others who figure in the list of electricity and water bill defaulters, which has been made public by NDMC, are former Union Minister Jainarain Prasad Nishad, L K Advani, Digvijay Singh and Jagdish Tytler.

In the list of dues pending upto December 2014 billing cycle, 166 MPs from Lok Sabha and 151 MPs of Rajya Sabha have figured. Nishad, Devegowda and Telangana CM K Chandrashekhra Rao top the list with their outstanding bills running into lakhs.
  
While Nishad owes the NDMC Rs 18.47 lakh, Devegowda and Rao owes Rs 1.49 and 1.27 lakh respectively. While former Prime Minister Singh owes Rs 22,934, the dues of Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh are as low as Rs 193.68 and Rs 206.
  
Digvijay Singh is yet to pay Rs 25,484, Jagdambika Pal-Rs 30,953, Paswan-Rs 49,464, Shashi Tharoor-Rs 7,374 and Advani Rs 3311.
  
Union Ministers Irani and Heptullah have dues of Rs 12,934 and Rs 1,627 pending against them. Amar Singh, Moti Lal Vora, Rajpal Singh Saini, Palvai Govardhan Reddy and Birender Singh owe Rs 1.47 lakh, 1.31 lakh, Rs 76,934 and Rs 68,134 to the civic body respectively.

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Land Bill: Opposition, in leadership of Sonia Gandhi, marches towards Rashtrapati Bhawan

Congress president Sonia Gandhi led the march which include a galaxy of politicians such as former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Devegowda, JD-U President Sharad Yadav, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, DMK's Kanimozhi, INLD's Dushyant Chautala and RJD's Prem Chand Gupta.

Sources in the Opposition said Congress is playing a key role in the protest including the finalization of the draft of the memorandum, which will be submitted to President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday evening.

Sonia's attending the Opposition march on Tuesday is significant as neither she nor Rahul Gandhi on sabbatical, was here on Monday to lead the Congress protest against Land Acquisition at Jantar Mantar, which was a culmination of its padyatra from Bhatta Parsaul village that began four days back.

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