Parliament again disrupted over coal scam

New Delhi - Both houses of parliament saw disruptions Thursday as the opposition demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the allocation of coal blocks.

As soon as the Lok Sabha met at 11 a.m., BJP members refused to allow the proceedings and rushed towards Speaker Meira Kumar's podium raising slogans.

The house was adjourned till 12 noon, followed by another adjournment till 2 p.m.

The Congress members also raised their voices to counter the opposition and showed copies of The Indian Express newspaper which had a report saying opposition-ruled states had opposed auction of coal blocks.

“The prime minister is ready to discuss the issue provided they (BJP) let the house function,” said Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

Similar scenes were seen in the Rajya Sabha, forcing Chairperson Hamid Ansari to adjourn the house till 12 noon and later till 12.30 p.m.

Ansari had also called an all-party meeting to end the logjam but it ended inconclusive.

“The chairman sought views from all parties on how to end the impasse. However, no conclusion was reached and Rajya Sabha leaders may meet again today (Thursday),” said a member of parliament, who attended the meeting in the chairperson’s chamber.

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.

The house was adjourned for the second successive day Wednesday over the report.