BJP corners PM over coal scam, parliament disrupted (Lead)
August 21st, 2012 - 1:16 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Both houses of parliament were adjourned till 12 noon Tuesday as the opposition noisily demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on coal block allocation.
As soon as Lok Sabha met at 11 a.m., Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members refused to allow proceedings and rushed towards speaker Meira Kumar’s podium raising slogans. The house was adjourned till 12 noon.
Similar scenes were visible at Rajya Sabha, forcing speaker Hamid Ansari to adjourn the house.
“The house was adjourned as BJP demanded prime minister’s resignation over coal scam. This is very imminent and it is the demand of the nation as people are shocked to see the way UPA (United Progressive Alliance) regime is looting the country,” said BJP leader Prakash Javadekar.
The government said the opposition should let the house function and have a discussion on the issue.
“It is unfortunate that they stalled the house and didn’t let anyone speak. We are prepared for a detailed discussion and then we will see what happens. They (BJP) want to create a situation of crisis but people should know the truth and what is their (BJP) role in coal allocation scam,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Bansal said demands for the prime minister’s resignation were “baseless”.
India’s official auditor had last week revealed that the lack of transparency in the allocation of coal blocks to private players resulted in a loss of a whopping Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) to the exchequer as on March 11 last year.
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