BJP slams Cong, Chidambaram for 'mocking' CAG

The opposition has sought an impartial probe into alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation while seeking their cancellation

BJP today attacked Congress and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for "mocking" the CAG and said the Congress will have to pay a heavy political price for indulging in corruption.

Charging the Congress with adopting double standards, the opposition party again demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation and an impartial probe into alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation while seeking their cancellation.

"BJP condemns Finance Minister for attacking and mocking the CAG once again. He has done so in 2G. Now he is doing so on coal issue also," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

He said, "The Congress cannot get away by mocking at the CAG. It will have to pay a heavy political price for the continuous and unabated indulgence in corruption."

Hitting out at Chidambaram, the BJP leader said it seems the Congress has decided to attack any constitutional body or anyone who highlights corruption done by it.

"The minister who is running away from any probe and accountability of his role in 2G scam is indulging in brazen insinuation of CAG (which) is condemnable," he said.

Javadekar said the people of the country are disgusted with the "corruption-riddled" UPA government and are waiting for an opportunity to punish the Congress.

17 billion tonnes of coal reserves worth Rs 15 lakh have been crore given on a platter for free to 140 private companies, he alleged, adding the Congress was indulging in "monumental" corruption

"The country has seen how brazenly the Congress is looting the country. The coal scam is the worst kind of corruption.... It is a monumental corruption," he said.

After terming CAG's estimate of Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss in 2G spectrum allocation as a "myth", Chidambaram had yesterday said the projected Rs 1.86 lakh crore loss in coal blocks allocation would also turn out to be a "mythical" and "fancy" number.

Also the government had attributed the "sensationalism" over the CAG's presumptive loss figure for the "killing" of the telecom sector. Congress leader Digvijay Singh had also asked the national auditor to "reconsider" its estimate of loss in the 2G spectrum allocation in 2001 after the government could mop up just Rs 9,407 crore.