BJP spreading anarchy: Sriprakash Jaiswal

Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said no one can force Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resign till he enjoys the support of people.

New Delhi: Amid raging storm over coal block allocation issue, the government and the Congress on Sunday accused BJP of spreading anarchy in the country, stalling Parliament and trying to "destabilise" the UPA and scoffed at its demand for the Prime Minister`s resignation.

Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said the campaign launched against the UPA government on the CAG report has been "inopportune" and the discussion on the issue should be held in Parliament`s Public Accounts Committee.

He told reporters in Kanpur that no one can force Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resign till he enjoys the support of people.

"There is a political conspiracy. BJP is trying to spread anarchy in the country. We know how to reply to this. Congress party workers are ready to reply to it...Our government and party are committed to uphold Constitution.

"BJP should have patience...If they continue with this kind of agitation, they will never be able to come to power for long years," he said.

Claiming that BJP has no right to seek the resignation of the Prime Minister, Jaiswal said Singh was only following a policy that was pursued by the NDA regime.

"No one can force the Prime Minister to resign as far as he enjoys majority, as far as he has the support of the people," he said, adding why they were not seeking resignation of Chief Ministers in BJP-ruled states which were named in the report.

He also said the fate of 58 coal blocks will be reviewed tomorrow at a meeting of an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), on whose recommendations wrongful allotments and cases in which mining has not started can be cancelled. The IMG will give its report by September 15.

Slamming BJP for stalling Parliament, Union Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy accused BJP of trying to "destabilise" the UPA government.

"Stalling Parliament is a clear indication of their (BJP`s) intention to destabilise the government. However, BJP`s machinations are not going to succeed," he told reporters in Puducherry.

"It is condemnable that BJP does not want a debate on the issue and has been demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh though he himself had made it clear that the government was prepared to have a debate," he said.

Jaiswal said, "no political party has the right to dictate the Centre on policy matters."

"The way BJP has sought resignation of Prime Minister on the basis of CAG report, they should also ask the Gujarat Chief Minister to step down on whom allegations of irregularities are made by the same body," the Coal Minister said.

Why the BJP has not asked for resignations of chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on the same basis.

And if government of these states have not been asked to resign, then no party has the moral right to ask the Prime Minister to step down, he said.

People of the country will never forgive the Opposition for stalling the Parliament for such a long period, he said.

They have started seeing it as an "anti-national act", Jaiswal said, adding that BJP would get a befitting reply by them in the coming elections.

Jaiswal also alleged that some BJP workers had pelted stones at his home in which eight Congress workers were injured.

"I have asked my party workers to lodge a police case against those who took to vandalism," he said.

PTI

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