The Bharatiya Janata Party will go the whole hog demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when Parliament resumes its sitting on Tuesday, for his alleged culpability in the coal scam.
The BJP’s case is that since Dr. Singh himself presided over the Coal Ministry during the time coal block allocations were made, resulting in a presumptive loss of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer, he cannot pass the buck.
Some quarters in the party suggested that a privilege motion could be moved against Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy for his reported comments against the Comptroller and Auditor General. However, a senior leader said that at this stage the BJP would focus exclusively on the Prime Minister.
The party has already gathered plenty of material on coal block allocations and it was on the basis of this evidence Prakash Javadekar, MP, petitioned the Central Vigilance Commission, seeking a probe into the issue.
The CVC has already asked the CBI to look into the alleged losses suffered by the exchequer in the allocation of coal blocks between 2006 and 2009.
A CAG report tabled in Parliament is referred to the Public Accounts Committee for examination and comments. As the body has representation of all parties, normally the issue cannot be raised till the PAC submits its report.
However, the BJP’s contention is that much of the material presented by the CAG is in the public domain and the conclusions drawn by the CAG justify the raising of the subject in Parliament.
