BJP sticks to guns,says PM himself behind delay in taking bidding route

Stepping up its attack on the government,the BJP on Monday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of conspiring to rush coal block allotments to private companies while delaying implementation

Stepping up its attack on the government,the BJP on Monday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of conspiring to rush coal block allotments to private companies while delaying implementation of competitive bidding. It also stuck to its demand that the PM resign and that all 142 coal block allocations be cancelled.

The Congress has got a fat sum from coal block allocations. That is why this delay (in the competitive bidding route)… Huge revenue was generated but that revenue has not come to treasury. It has gone to the coffers of the Congress, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.

She put the blame for this directly on Singh. It was a policy of delaying the implementation but hurrying up with the allocations.

Her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha,Arun Jaitley,also attacked the PMO. While the idea of competitive bidding was mooted on June 28,2004,it was the Prime Ministers Office that first sabotaged the move through its note on September 11,2004, Jaitley said.

The BJP also announced that it would continue to disrupt Parliament. Even if we have to stand alone… it will be a majestic isolation, Jaitley asserted. Swaraj claimed that the Akali Dal,JD(U) and Shiv Sena as well as the AIADMK were supporting them.

Terming the PMs statement in the House as an assault on constitutional authorities,the BJP said: While the PM claims to take full responsibility,he has sought to divert responsibility on the federal structure, parliamentary democracy,Law Ministry,and faulted the CAGs calculations.

Jaitley also criticised Singh for his disreputable remarks on the CAG report. If you cannot subvert the CAG,attack the CAG.

Statement disappointing: Advani

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GANDHINAGAR: Stating that Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs statement was disappointing,senior BJP leader L K Advani said it was still better than Finance Minister P Chidambarams response. The PM,in his statement,at least accepted some loss unlike the Finance Minister who said there was zero loss, said Advani. The government should have acted as per the Law Ministrys suggestion of cancelling the allotment to 142 companies. he added. I heard the PMs statement on TV and felt very disappointed, said Advani. The PM is disowning his own Law Ministry and blaming a constitutional body like CAG. ENS