Modi: UPA gave coal blocks for pittance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the previous UPA government of 'giving away' coal mines as easily as one would give a pen, a handkerchief or even a piece of paper. But the 204 coal mines were just given away without thinking twice alleged the Prime Minister and said that his government through the auctioning of just 20 of the 204 coal mines had got Rs.2 lakh crore.

Addressing a civic reception by the Indian diaspora, Modi said 'A storm was kicked up, the court raised the issue and it even went up to that of the prime minister,' referring to the CBI court summons to former Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh in the coal allocation issue. 'But I don't want to indulge in criticism, but the Supreme Court then waved the stick (on the issue),' he said.

Modi said when the CAG pegged the loss from coal allocation at Rs. 1lakh 76,000 crore, 'No one believed it'. 'But when we auctioned, only 20 of the 204 mines were auctioned. And we got Rs.2 lakh crore. Only 10 percent of the work has been done, and the treasury has got Rs.2 lakh crore,' he said.

'If any government does this then the people will say that run the government for 25 years,' Modi said to loud cheers. He said the government has decided that the money will go to the respective state government, for making factories, for education and infrastructure projects. ‘Gujarat does not have coal mines or the newspapers would have criticized the move,' he said.

The coal auction money would go to Odisha, Bihar, Jharkahnd, West Bengal 'where there is possibility of progress, and I have to take them forward', he said.