28. "The State of Chhattisgarh favoured BJP MP Mr Sancheti." - FALSE
Like the case of Madhya Pradesh, the Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation tooinvited bids for joint venture agreements. Congress has once again tried to sully the reputation
of BJP by pointing fingers at Mr Ajay Sancheti and the State of Chhattisgarh. However, unlike
the Central Government, the Chhattisgarh state government did not give away mines for free.
Instead, it announced an auction, under which Mr Sancheti's company, SMS Infrastructure Ltc.
was selected as a Joint Venture partner after making a bid. Congress has attempted to create
suspicion about the 'deal', but the facts clearly prove otherwise -
● The State Government conducted an auction for a Joint Venture partner
● The State Government did not give away the mines to a private company for free. The state
retains control of the mine and gained financial benefit by auctioning.
● SMS Infrastructure Ltd won the bid for two coal blocks, each for different amounts. The
Congress has tried to raise suspicion about this as well. But surely, different quality of mines
will fetch different prices? There are extensive differences between the two blocks, which
is why different prices were paid.
● Unlike Minister Subodh Kant Sahai who blatantly abused his position of power to assist his
family, Mr Sancheti's company made an honest bid. Mr Sancheti was not even a Member
of Parliament at the time of the bid - the same cannot be said of Minister Subodh Kant
Sahai.
By bringing up the so-called 'issue' of Mr Ajay Sancheti's company, the Congress Party has
done itself more harm. The example above illustrates how the BJP-led State Government has
managed to retain control of mines, as well as financially benefitting from them. Perhaps the
UPA government can learn a few lessons from the States of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
