Lucknow: Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has assailed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by saying that the Chief Ministers of states ruled by it should resign as they endorsed the final allotments of coal blocks.
Sibal told media here that the BJP had a black ideology, a black mindset and they should stay away from commenting on the coal blocks allocation.
"Those people whose minds are black, whose thoughts are black, whose policies are black, whose intentions are black, at least they should not talk about coal!" said Sibal.
Sibal further said that under the Mines and Minerals Regulation and Development Act, it was the responsibility of the chief ministers of respective states to extend the final lease of the coal blocks.
"If someone should resign, then it should be the Chief Ministers of states ruled by BJP because it was their responsibility, they executed the lease and they decided in whose favour the lease would be allotted," Sibal added.
A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had observed that private companies did make windfall gains of about USD 33 billion owing to the under-priced sale of coalfields between 2004 and 2009.
The BJP has been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh since he headed the Coal Ministry between 2006 and 2009, when many of the sales occurred.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament was also adjourned sine die earlier on Friday, as the BJP-led opposition remained adamant on its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation over the coal blocks allocation issue.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, September 09, 2012, 11:46