BJP seeks PM's resignation over coal block allocation

The BJP Thursday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the Attorney General's recommendation for de-allocation of coal blocks showed that "something was wrong" with the allocation.

"Today, the Attorney General confessed in the Supreme Court that there was something wrong in the allocation of coal blocks since 2005. This is what precisely we were saying and what our complaint is," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar said.

"The onus is now on the prime minister, who was heading the coal ministry at the time of allocation. Therefore, we reiterate our demand that he must now own responsibility and resign," he said.

The central government Thursday told the Supreme Court it was examining the option of withdrawing the coal blocks allocated to private companies after 2006.

Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati told a bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha that the court's views on de-allocation were under the government's consideration.

The allocation under scanner concerns 32 coal blocks allocated after 2006 to private companies by the screening committee of the coal ministry.

"We are also raising a question why the Central Bureau of Investigation was silent on two ministers of state and officials in the Prime Minister's Office because a loot has happened... it means there are many partners in it," Javadekar added.