Harish Rawat defends Manmohan Singh, says his integrity was never in doubt

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Wednesday came to the defence of Manmohan Singh, who has been summoned by court as an accused in a coal scam case, describing him as "one of the country's most efficient prime ministers" whose integrity was never in doubt.

"Manmohan Singh has been one of the country's ablest prime ministers. His contribution has been the most significant in making India an economic super. No one ever cast doubts on his honesty and integrity. I am totally confident that he will prove to be innocent," Rawat told reporters when asked about the court summon.

Former Prime Minister Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, ex-coal secretary PC Parakh and three others were today summoned as accused by a special CBI court in a coal scam case pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005 and asked to appear before it on April 8.

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