The opposition has sought to link Singh, who was in charge of the Coal Ministry in 2006, to the affair. Singh’s government has lurched from crisis to crisis since graft in the sale of telecoms spectrum surfaced two years ago, culminating in the quashing of licenses. The telecoms sale may have cost the government up to $36 billion. India is the world’s third-largest coal producer after China and the United States, but output has struggled to keep up with consumer demand for electricity.