New Delhi: Rejecting as “preposterous” the opposition demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over alleged scam in coal block allocation, the government on Tuesday said that it was ready for a discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the opposition demand was “preposterous and baseless” and that BJP was “trying to make an issue out of nothing”.
“Let them come for a discussion… It is not right on their part. They know that there is nothing. Still they are trying to create a situation on an issue which is not there,” he told reporters outside Parliament House.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day following uproar over opposition demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation on CAG report on coal block allocation. The CAG report has stated that there was an estimated loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore in allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.
Lashing out at the government, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said that it was an “all round unsuccessful tenure” for Congress-led UPA-II. “Economy is in a bad shape, there are scams. Corruption is beyond any imagination. Ministers keep saying that there are losses, then they say losses are justified. So what do we do make out of it?,” Joshi told reporters outside Parliament. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, “When there is no proof to support their argument why do they demand this.
In every session, the opposition, specially BJP, keeps demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation.”
Hitting out at BJP, Bansal said, “What was the stand of BJP Chief Ministers when coal block allocation took place… BJP was also one of the parties… “People must know the difference between truth and untruth, between myth and reality, between narrow party politics and critical economy. People ought to know it and then only they would know what was their (BJP) role, even in the matter of allocation of coal blocks,” he said.
Joshi said, “On the one side you say the dignity of constitutional bodies should be maintained. It was said that PAC and CAG are the two bodies to ensure transparency in the country and keep an eye on corruption.
“Now if CAG says anything against you, then it is corrupt. If PAC brings out any report then it is trying to pull the government down. You (the government) are trying to put corruption under wraps,” the BJP leader said.
Slamming BJP for stalling proceedings of Parliament over the coal block issue, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said they were “running away” from having a debate on the issue as they themselves would stand exposed before the public.
“You (BJP) know that you will be exposed before the public if debate takes place because several BJP chief ministers are involved in this,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Shukla said there was no question of the PM resigning on the issue as the Opposition has been gunning for his head since UPA came to power in 2004.
The CAG reports have estimated “undue benefits” of over Rs 3.06 lakh crore to private parties in coal block allocation without bidding, Delhi Airport development and diversion of coal to a power project. (PTI)