Coalgate: 'Onus on UPA for smooth functioning of Parliament', says Rajnath Singh

New Delhi - Asserting that the opposition was playing a sturdy role in both houses of Parliament over the coal blocks allocation issue, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said it is the responsibility of the UPA Government to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly.
 
Singh said the BJP is just living up to the expectations of the people of the country, as the main opposition party.
 
"It is the responsibility of the ruling party to ensure that the Parliament functions smoothly. So, the Congress-led UPA will have to make sure that the Parliament functions properly. The Congress-led UPA and the Prime Minister should take the initiative in this. The Bharatiya Janata Party is playing the role of the main opposition in both the houses," said Singh.
 
"If there will be a loot of the government exchequer, then for sure, we will look into it as a watchdog for the public, which has given us the role of the main opposition. We are just fulfilling our responsibilities. What objection does the government have? It should cancel all the incorrect 145 coal blocks allocation made and also order a proper investigation into the whole matter," he added.
 
When asked to comment on Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's rejection of the demand for the immediate cancellation of 142 coal block allocations, Singh said senior ministers of the UPA Government had made similar remarks when the 2G spectrum scam was exposed.
 
"But ultimately, you saw that the government exchequer gained Rs. 1.5 lakh crores because of the role played by the Bharatiya Janata Party in both houses then. There has been a gain only because of the new policy and through auction," he added.
 
Chidambaram had earlier on Monday said the demand for cancellation of all 142 coal blocks allocated after 2004 is not founded on sound logic.
 
"It (cancellation) cannot be done through dictat or arbitrary orders," he added.
 
Chidambaram also appealed to the opposition to allow Parliament to function and participate in a debate on the issue.
 
"There is a procedure for it and that procedure is underway," he said, while reacting to the BJP's demand for immediate cancellation of 142 coal blocks and an independent probe before any discussion can take place on the issue in Parliament.
 
The Finance Minister further termed the BJP's demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's resignation as 'outrageous'.
 
The last week of the Monsoon session of Parliament, which began on Monday witnessed a repeat of stormy scenes raising the possibility of a washout of the remaining four days.
 
The month-long session, which already lost the previous two weeks to BJP's unrelenting demand for the Prime Minister's resignation, again saw uproar created by BJP members, leading to wastage of one more day of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
 
Similar scenes were witnessed in both houses of Parliament even today. The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 p.m., while the Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day.
 
The BJP has held the Prime Minister, who then held direct charge of the coal ministry, responsible for what has been estimated as a notional loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores by the CAG in coal block allocations, and demanded his resignation.
 
The CAG report on coal block allocations states that nearly 150 coalfields were allotted to private and state-run firms without transparency and objectivity between 2005 and 2009.