Citing examples of several BJP stalwarts’ associates getting coal block allocation, Union minister of state for industries and commerce Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said the party leaders’ conduct and stand differed like chalk and cheese.

In the city to counter the BJP-sponsored “coal block scam propaganda”, Scindia said: “Ajay Sancheti and the Reddy brothers, close associates of Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj, respectively, the Adani Group close to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Prakash Industries of Prakash Agrawal, an RSS hand, have been the beneficiaries of the coal block allocations.”

He said the government had nothing against the allotments because the blocks were awarded in the way allocations were made to other private companies. “But the false propaganda by the BJP leaders on coal block allocation reflects a wide gap between the party leaders’ conduct and their stand,” he said.

“Why did they (BJP top leaders) allow their close associates to get the allocation when they found fault with the method?” he asked.

Strongly defending the coal block allotment process, Scindia said: “The Congress-led UPA government had adopted the same process that the BJP-led NDA had while allotting 37 coal blocks to various private companies between 1998 and 2004.”