Hitting out at the BJP for disrupting Parliament on the coal blocks allocation issue, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday asked the party why it was not ready for a debate and dared it to face questions on allocations made during the NDA rule.
“If the BJP has such a strong case, why don’t they debate the subject in Parliament?” he said, reacting to party leader Arun Jaitley’s criticism of the government and his assertion that his party was in no mood to allow Parliament to function till its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation was met.
Mr. Jaitley told a press conference in Delhi on Saturday that a nationwide debate was on on the coal block issue though it was not taking place in Parliament. “Our strategy does not permit that we allow the government to use Parliament to end this debate without any accountability. We want the debate to go on further,” he had said.
“That is what I would like to ask them,” Mr. Chidambaram said. “Why debate the issue on television? Why not in Parliament? Why doesn’t he [Jaitley] raise the issue in Parliament?”
He also wanted to know whether the BJP was prepared for a debate on the coal blocks allocation made during the BJP-led NDA regime between 1998 and 2004.
Replying to Mr. Jaitley’s criticism of his ‘no loss’ theory in regard to the allocations, the Minister said there was a potential gain when coal was mined and sold. “Where is the presumptive loss or gain when mining has not taken place?” he countered.
Keywords: Coalgate scam, Coal scam, NDA, UPA government, P. Chidambaram, coal block allocation, coal auction
Debate happens within equals. Majority can suppress minority with the majority votes ........ what is point of debating with Government? They anyway will win the vote. Why ask for vote something is said by CAG ........ is that a institution with stupid guys and all guys in government are the right guys.
I think debate will yield nothing as crook will protect itself because of majority.
I am amazed with professional lawyers arguing and expecting us to believe zero loss theory ........ what is point in debating with such people.
The cost which we taxpayers are paying for each day of functioning of parliament is very huge. So law bodies of India should jump in and make sure that people of India have a working parliament and this kind of situation never happen again in future as well.
There is a way to oppose everything, why to choose the wrong way..?
we can feed so many poor people, build some good infrastructure out of the money which is going to waste everyday when parliament is adjourned.
There have been debates earlier in parliament regarding corruption charges, there have been debates on news channels every now and then on various issues.But to no yield.
In our parliamentary form of government a debate has never been conclusive. I have not seen any decision coming out of any debate ever, if there have been any then we should accept UPA's demand to debate. It is just a way to discuss and finish it off. CAG's report on 2G was also shown door by zero loss theory and same is to be done with coalgate if it is discussed.
We have heard of money going down the drain.. This is an example of our
votes going down the drain.. Although we respect the demand being put by
the opposition, this should be on the floor of the house. There are
other important matters pertaining to the nation to be addressed as
well. The supreme court should intervene and make sure precious time is
not wasted. I am not supporting the NDA or asking for the Prime
minister's resignation but as a citizen of India I would like to have a
functioning parliament.
BJP does not want the UPA Government to go, for two reasons, ONE: BJP is not ready to face the electorate. TWO: If the UPA maintains its record of scams, it is better to let them continue at the helm of scams till 2014. Then, in absence of anything concrete to offer, in 2014, BJP can offer itself to the electorate as the lesser of the two evils. Therefore, they will keep making inconsequential noise outside the Parliament, but will keep the Parliament in suspended animation.
Chidambaram's no loss theory on the coal scam is highly idiotic as
that of Kapil sibal's zero loss argument for 2 G scam.
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