New Delhi, Aug 22 (ANI): Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned minutes within the proceedings began on Wednesday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition sticking to their demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's resignation over the Comptroller and Auditor General's (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 UPA Government had earlier on Tuesday rejected the opposition demand for Prime Minister's resignation, saying it is ready for discussion in Parliament on CAG report on coal block allocation.
"It was up to the opposition to decide if it wanted a democracy or a mobocracy. If they feel they have a point, let them debate it on the floor of the Parliament. The Congress is ready to match them point for point," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.
Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal had also come out in full defence of the Prime Minister, saying Dr. Manmohan Singh can never do anything wrong, and termed all allegations levelled against him to be completely baseless.
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 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. (ANI)
