Coalgate: Congress hits back, says BJP a self-propelled weapon full of blanks

Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: Taking a dig at BJP’s attack on PM in wake of ex-Coal Secy PC Parakh, I&B Minister Manish Tewari said that the opposition party was a “self propelled, self firing automatic weapon full of blanks”. Congress’ retort comes after the opposition party latched on to the former Union Coal Secretary Prakash Chandra Parakh’s statements, demanding PM’s resignation over coal scam. Tewari played down the attack by the BJP, saying that the matter was sub-judice and it was inappropriate to comment on the issue.

When asked if the latest FIR filed by the CBI in connection with the coal scam and the subsequent remarks by PC Parakh would grant fresh ammunition to the opposition, Tewari took a dig on the BJP saying, “Do you think that the Bhartiya Janata Party requires ammunition?” They are a self-propelled and self-firing automatic weapon which is unfortunately full of blanks," he said. Writing off BJP’s attack as unimportant, Tewari said that the opposition has been saying the same things for last ten years. Manish Tewari further urged the BJP to exercise restraint while commenting saying, “responsibility and propriety demand that in an investigation which is being monitored by the apex court, people need to be restrained in their utterances”. The BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar had earlier in the day told a press briefing that the FIR registered against the former bureaucrat was bizarre as the CBI had named “an honest officer” as accused while sparing the PM who had taken the final decision as the Coal Minister back then. Addressing a press briefing, Javadekar said, "It`s bizarre that an FIR was filed against the man who suggested that coal blocks be sold through competitive bidding". "The monumental corruption would not have taken place had the PM followed his suggestion of auctioning the coal blocks," he added. Javadekar went on to say that the Prime Minister must take final responsibility for the scam as he held the Coal Ministry when the “monumental corruption” of coal scam took place.