Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) More than 75 percent of MPs are in favour of parliament functioning normally but the BJP is being “obdurate and stubborn” in holding up proceedings over the coal blocks allocation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Monday.

Speaking to reporters here, Bansal also said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the issue of coal blocks lying unutilised.

“Seventy five percent (of MPs) are for running of the house, but the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is obdurate and stubborn,” said Bansal.

The opposition party was insisting on the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in view of the assembly polls due in two states later this year. Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh go to the polls this year.

Asked about the BJP’s demand for cancellation of coal blocks allocated to private parties by the UPA government, Bansal said: “We have to follow the due process of law. We had taken the assent of the BJP chief ministers (while allocating the coal blocks).”

He added that “process has been initiated for taking appropriate action in the matter” and the CBI was probing the cases that needed looking into.

“The BJP demand is to mislead the people,” he added.

The monsoon session of parliament, that ends Sep 7, has seen over a week of its proceedings lost to BJP protests demanding the resignation of the prime minister over the government auditor’s report alleging irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks when he was heading the coal ministry.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in a report has quantified that the nation has lost around Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) in coal block allocations to private players.