Hansraj Ahir: The man who blew the lid off coalgate

New Delhi: Parliament stalled, the monsoon session washed out, UPA cornered. In the eye of the storm is the Prime Minister himself and the genesis of his grief is a third time BJP MP from Maharashtra - Hansraj Ahir.

Ahir says that he raised his concerns after he saw that the coal committee was giving away coal blocks instead of auctioning them.

Besides raising his concerns in committee meetings, Ahir also started a parallel protest. A 10th pass, Ahir shot off a letter first in 2005 to then coal minister Shibhu Soren.

Little did he know then that his search for truth will make him unravel the biggest scam in India's history.

What upsets him he most today is that he got no reply from the Prime Minister. He had sent a series of 15 letters to Dr Manmohan Singh, the first one as early as August 2007. However, he received only a receipt of the mail and nothing else. He says he was extremely upset.

So, how did he get interested in the black diamond? Coming from Chandrapur, Maharashtra's belt of coal blocks, he says he had often championed the cause of coal mine workers.

The Congress, however, refutes Ahir's role. "We can't say he exposed it," said Harish Rawat.

With the monsoon session over, the challenge for the BJP would be to mantain the momentum it has generated inside Parliament. As for Ahir, it's time to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame.

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