The Opposition alleges that Congress is shielding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his alleged role in the coal allocation scam. In 2007 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was holding the coal portfolio, when Naveen Jindal's company and another associate company linked to Subodh Kant Sahai were awarded coal blocks. As per the latest information coming out in public domain is that, the "allocation documents from the 35th coal screening committee meeting", in which "companies linked with the top Congressmen MP Naveen Jindal and former Minister Subodh Kant Sahai" were given coal blocks by the coal ministry, have also gone missing.
It is to note that the '12th FIR' filed by the CBI in the coal allocation scam had been registered under IPC Section 420 (cheating) along with 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy and under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against the then minister of state for coal Shri Dasari Narayan Rao; MP Naveen Jindal, Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL); four Delhi-based private firms; one Hyderabad based private firm, and others, in relation to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in the State of Jharkhand.
The allegation the FIR further substantiate that in December 2008 investment of Rs.2.25 crore was made by Jindal's Delhi based firm, "New Delhi Exim", in "Saubhagya Media Ltd, Hyderabad" , owned by former coal minister Dasari Narayan Rao. The CBI has also alleged that shares of Rao's company,which were worth Rs.28 per share in the stock market in 2008, were purchased at highly inflated price of Rs100 per share,and it was done immediately after Naveen Jindal got the coal blocks allotted in the favour of his company.