To dialogue over coal or not: Opposition divided

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, differences appeared within the opposition, with BJP ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) saying it was in favour of a discussion on the coal block allocations.

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, differences appeared within the opposition, with BJP ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) saying it was in favour of a discussion on the coal block allocations.

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Janata Dal-United leader Shivanand Tiwari Wednesday said his party was ready for a debate in parliament.

"We are ready for discussion in parliament... the government should give a clarification over coal allocation," Tiwari said.

"Our party wants parliament to go on," he said, adding, "the PAC (public accounts committee) will conduct a post-mortem of this report. This matter should be discussed in parliament."

The BJP, however, stressed that it would not settle for anything but the resignation of the prime minister.

"The prime minister is the prime accused in this case... how can we discuss the scam while he is heading the government," BJP leader Balbir Punj asked, while speaking to IANS.

"How can the prime minister be absolved of responsibility? We will not discuss the report unless he resigns," he asserted.

The BJP, in its parliamentary party meeting Wednesday morning, decided to continue to press for the prime minister's ouster. Party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said after the meeting that the BJP would continue with the demand that the prime minister resign as it does not have "any confidence in the government".

Naidu mentioned that LK Advani, who chaired the parliamentary party meeting, said the government had become a burden on the country.

"This government has become a burden... it has become a blot on the nation. That's why it is all the more important that this government goes," Naidu quoted Advani as saying.

Both houses of parliament saw multiple adjournments on the issue, stalling proceedings in both houses.