Cong slams Modi for remark on coal scam

Narendra Modi recently attacked Congress for the coal allocation scam

A day after Narendra Modi attacked Congress over the coal blocks allocation scam, saying "black smoke" has stained it, the ruling party taunted him over his alleged complicity in the Godhra riots and said his "hands are red".

Congress also rejected BJP's demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the CBI probe being monitored by the Supreme Court should be allowed to take its natural course.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the hands of Congress may be black in its service for the people but Modi should answer how his hands turned red and in whose service.

"The hands of people lighting coal fire for cooking turn black...Our hands are black and yours are red. We are not afraid, nor do we mind if our hands get black while serving the people. They (BJP) should answer in whose service their hands turned red. It was due to henna or something else," Khurshid said, taunting Modi and BJP.

Referring to the coal scam, Modi had said at a rally in Kanpur yesterday, "Black smoke of coal, which started from Delhi, is causing pollution in Kanpur."

Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal is MP from Kanpur.

Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal said the Supreme Court is monitoring the CBI probe into the coal block allocations and political parties should not create hurdles in it.

"There is no need for everybody to express their views when the apex court is monitoring it. This (probe) is Supreme Court-monitored not BJP-monitored. If they (BJP) think they are above the apex court, then it is a different matter," he said.

JD(U), however, demanded cancellation of all coal block allocations, saying the entire process is under a cloud.

"Out of turn allocations were made. Big capitalists and politicians benefited from it. We demand that the entire exercise be scrapped with immediate effect," party spokesperson K C Tyagi said.