Coalgate: Govt. hits back at BJP, says allegations are 'baseless and incorrect'

New Delhi - Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Wednesday condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) move to disrupt parliamentary proceedings over the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report on coal block allocations, saying the allegations levelled against the government are absolutely baseless and incorrect.

"It is extremely unfortunate that the BJP is contemplating over not allowing the Parliament to function. We have repeatedly told then that we are ready for discussion on any issue. Earlier, they used to say that the government is not ready for discussion, but now we have said that we are ready for discussion," Bansal told mediapersons outside the Parliament here.

"The allegations that they are levelling against us is completely baseless, there is no truth and logic in it," he added.

Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned minutes within the proceedings began earlier today with the opposition sticking to their demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's resignation over the CAG report on coal block allocations.

The Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11.33 a.m. while the Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 12 noon.
 
The BJP, however, is sticking to its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation, saying 'Coalgate' has broken all records of corruption.
 
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar had earlier on Tuesday alleged that the ruling UPA Government is looting the nation and several scams are surfacing one after another.
 
"We demanded that the Prime Minister should resign because CWG was 76,000 crores, then 2G was 1,76,000 crores, now this 'Coalgate' is 1,86,000 crores and there is no defence whatsoever with the government. This is the loot, which is now in the open and so we have asked the resignation of the Prime Minister," he added.
 
The BJP has held the Prime Minister, who then held direct charge of the Coal Ministry, responsible for what has been estimated as loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores by the CAG in coal block allocation and demanded his resignation.
 
The CAG report on coal block allocation states that nearly 150 coalfields were allotted to private and state-run firms without transparency and objectivity between 2005 and 2009.   
 
The report does not indict the Prime Minister or his office. But the BJP is emphasizing on the fact that for three of the years under scrutiny, the Prime Minister held the coal portfolio.