The Indian Panorama

Tag: AIADMK

  • 11 MPs willing to lobby for oil major for money

    11 MPs willing to lobby for oil major for money

    A Cobrapost investigation exposes 11 MPs who were willing to write letters of recommendation to promote a fictitious oil exploration company for money

    NEW DELHI (TIP):
    An investigative website, in an expose, has revealed names of 11 Members of Parliament who were allegedly willing to take money for writing letters of recommendation for a fictitious foreign oil major. The Cobrapost investigation, panning over a year, exposed 11 MPs from within the Congress, BJP, BSP, JDU and AIADMK willing to issue letters of recommendation to promote a fictitious Australian oil exploration company in exchange for fees ranging between Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh. Six of these MPs even wrote the letters for a fee. Codenamed Operation Falcon Claw, the expose claimed that the MPs were not only willing to write recommendation letters but also lobby with the Union Ministry of Petroleum for a foreign company to help it secure oil exploration and rigging rights in the Northeast.

    In all 11 MPs from the Congress Party, the BJP, the JDU, AIADMK and BSP are on camera willing to help the company set up shop in India. However, none of them bothered to check the antecedents of the company or check if the company was real. What they hankered after was money, quoting as low as Rs. 50,000 to a mind-boggling Rs 50 lakh as the price for a letter of recommendation, delivered all in cash; one MP even had the audacity to demand his fee is delivered through a hawala operator. The parliamentarians who stand exposed are K Sugumar and C Rajendran from AIADMK; Lalu Bhai Patel, Ravindra Kumar Pandey and Hari Manjhi from BJP; Vishwa Mohan Kumar, Maheshwar Hazari and Bhudeo Chaudhary from JDU; Khiladi Lal Bairwa and Vikrambhai Arjanbhai from Congress; and Kaiser Jahan from BSP. Six MPs gave letters of recommendation in favour of Mediterranean Oil Inc. for a sum ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000.

    Others won’t settle for less than Rs 5 lakh for a single letter, and in one case an MP quoted a ridiculously high price for a single letter, at Rs 50 lakh. Apart from issuing letters of recommendation, some of these Lok Sabha MPs were ready to walk an extra mile to help with lobbying at the highest level of the Petroleum Ministry. Some would even offer to rope in a bunch of five MPs for the job. When Cobrapost reporter, for instance, suggested Lalu Bhai Patel to pursue our case with the ministry, the BJP MP from Daman and Diu said, “Haan bhai (Yes, brother)!” We paid him Rs. 50, 000 for a recommendation letter, as he also agreed to lobby for us. His fellow party leader Hari Manjhi from Gaya, Bihar, would come along for lobbying with the oil ministry: “Jayenge … chalenge (Will go … will come along).”

    Similarly, Maheshwar Hazari, the JDU MP from Samastipur, Bihar, would reassure us: “Jab tak hain tab tak aapki company ki madad karenge … yahan se lekar mantralay tak, jahan tak kahiyega (Will help your company till my term lasts … from this level up to the ministry, wherever you ask).” Hazari would bring along a group of five MPs for lobbying with the ministry. We had to pay him Rs. 5 lakh for each MP. Jasmir Ansari, the MLA Husband of BSP MP Kaiser Jahan, goes a step ahead to say: “ … tumhara ye jo project hai poora kara denge … Sonia se kehke … kisi se bhi keh ke … toh kisse hum baat karein (… we will see your project through … by talking to Sonia or somebody else … then whom should we talk to [in your company]).” He would charge Rs. 5 lakh for three letters, one from his MP wife, and two from other MPs.

    Only a few parliamentarians played it safe by keeping the deal as much discrete as they could help. They wouldn’t enter into direct negotiations with the party or talk money, and raised their brows if the Cobrapost reporter talked money. For instance, while AIADMK MP from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, K. Sugumar was “Ok” with money talk, his fellow party MP from South Chennai C. Rajendran would have none of it. After paying his staff Rs. 50,000 for a recommendation letter, when we managed to tell Lalu Bhai (BJP) about the payment, he shot back: “Mujhe nahin … ye baat mujhe nahin bolna (Not me … don’t tell me this thing).” Assuming a fake identity, Cobrapost reporter representing the fake foreign oil company, the Mediterranean Oil Inc. of Queensland, Australia, approached these parliamentarians.

    Introducing him as a consultant working for Mediterranean Oil Inc. entrusted with the onerous task of rallying support from MPs across the political spectrum for its oil exploration bid in the Northeast, pegging the project at Rs. 1000 crore, he requested the MPs he met to write a recommendation letter.

  • Ex-LTTE men lay down arms to join poll battle

    Ex-LTTE men lay down arms to join poll battle

    JAFFNA (TIP): Ananthi Sasitharan, a candidate in the September 21 elections to the Northern Province council in Sri Lanka, is a teacher by profession. She is also the wife of an LTTE militant – one of those officially “missing” after the end of the conflict in 2009. A mother of three, Ananthi has been fielded by the Tamil National Alliance, widely tipped to win the first provincial elections in 25 years in the war-torn region. Among those contesting the polls are former LTTE members who have laid down arms and relatives of tigers killed in the ethnic war. Their participation in the electoral process signals a sense of reconciliation among sections of the Tamil population and a willingness to engage with the Rajapaksa regime in its bid to usher in democracy in warravaged areas. Ananthi, who is contesting from Jaffna district, said she represents the war widows and the families of those who have gone missing. “We are contesting the election to prove to the international community that the Tamils are with us. We may have been defeated in our armed struggle. We will not be defeated in this political struggle,” she told TOI.

    Ananthi claimed she was targeted twice in the past few days during the election campaign. She claims to have personally seen Sri Lankan armymen taking away her husband, Ezhilan alias Sasitharan, a leader of the LTTE’s political wing, at the end of the war in May 2009. Mukilan Pushparajah, a former LTTE cadre who is contesting from Kilinochchi district, said former members of the militant organization are not ready for another armed struggle. “We have been struggling in our day-to-day life. No one is ready for any other struggle now. Meeting our daily expenses is a big issue for many of the people here. We need political strength,” he told TOI over phone from Kilinochchi. He said his father Pushparajah was with LTTE for more than two decades. Mukilan said seven former LTTE members have been fielded in Kilinochchi district alone by his party Democratic United Alliance (DUA). “For getting benefits for our people we have to negotiate with the government. We need political power for that,” he said. Interestingly, his party is contesting on AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol. They have been using AIADMK founder and former chief minister M G Ramachandran’s photo in their campaign. Another DUA candidate in Kilinochchi, Balachandran Balaramanan, said he was with the LTTE for more than 10 years. He said his party has fielded candidates in all five districts in Northern Province. But TNA sees a government conspiracy in fielding of candidates by DUA, which it says is being funded by the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. “No DUA candidate was with the LTTE. The government funded them and fielded them against TNA candidates to split our votes,” said TNA spokesperson and MP Suresh Premachandran

  • Landmark Land Acquisition Bill gets LS nod

    Landmark Land Acquisition Bill gets LS nod

    NEW DELHI (TIP): After Food Security Bill, the pathbreaking Land Acquisition Bill that aims to give a fair deal to farmers for their land for industrial use was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 29 giving a push to Sonia Gandhi’s another pet project ahead of General Elections. The key land legislation of the UPA championed by Rahul Gandhi was approved by an overwhelming majority after an acrimonious debate. The Bill, which seeks to provide just and fair compensation to farmers while also ensuring that no land can be aquired forcibly, will replace the archaic Act of 1894, “The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2012” stipulates mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent for acquiring land for Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and 80 per cent for acquiring land for private companies. Both the Food Security Bill, that was passed on Monday, and the Land Acqusition Bill, will now have to be passed by the Rajya Sabha. The bill proposes compensation that is up to four times the market value in rural areas and two times the market value in urban areas. It was passed with 216 votes in favour and 19 against. Left parties, AIADMK and BJD members staged a walkout.

    Trinamool Congress voted against the bill while main Opposition BJP as also SP and BSP supported the legislation. “There will be no forceful acquisition of land under this law. This legislation will provide lawful right of the farmers over their land and no right of forceful acquisition to government,” Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said while winding up the day-long discussion on the Bill. Asserting that the new law will address “historical injustice”, the minister said this law is being enacted under the Concurrent list and the states can bring their own law on the subject without derogating from the central law. Sonia and Home Minister and Leader of the House Sushilkumar Shinde, apparently unwell, did not participate in the voting as they left when amendments were being moved. The National Advisory Council(NAC) headed by the Congress President had given a vigorous push for the land bill. India Inc has expressed fears that the land reforms could push up property purchase costs making industrial projects financially unviable while the Food Security Bill will have a deleterious effect on public finances. 381 amendments were moved to the bill, of which 166 were official ones. Of the Opposition amendments, some were withdrawn and others defeated during voting.

  • 12 MPs suspended after ruckus in LS over Telangana

    12 MPs suspended after ruckus in LS over Telangana

    12 MPs suspended after ruckus in LS over Telangana NEW DELHI (TIP): Daily disruptions since Parliament’s monsoon session began on August 5 finally led to the suspension of eight Congress MPs in Lok Sabha – the House was treated to the unprecedented sight of ruling party members being named – along with four TDP MPs. A move to take similar action against MPs protesting the Telangana decision in RajyaSabha was held back as deputy chairperson P JKurien sought the consent of opposition parties, most of whom refused to back the proposal.

    The din prevented Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from making a statement on missingCoalgate files as demanded by the opposition led by BJP. In Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar read out names of the MPs, holding them guilty of “grave disorder” before adjourning proceedings till Saturday morning. The MPs remained in the House till around 4.30 pm when the vacated the premises. Most Parliament watchers could not recall an instance where ruling party MPs were suspended in such circumstances. “I cannot remember such an event. It is quite unprecedented,” said A Surya Prakash, author of ‘What Ails Indian Parliament’. The Speaker’s action followed a meeting in her chamber where the government suggested that it will not press a motion seeking suspension of the MPs as Kumar could initiate disciplinary proceedings from the chair.

    Interestingly, when finance minister P Chidambaram specifically asked party leaders if they consented with such a course of action, regional parties like BJD, AIADMK, DMK and Shiv Senarefused to voice their views. The regional outfits said they were not required to concur in advance, a stance driven by reluctance to endorse a tough option that they apprehend might be used against them in the future. BJP leaders, on the other hand, indicated that they would not walk out of the House if the Speaker were to announce a decision on the agitating MPs, resolving a major roadblock for the government. Of the 12suspended MPs, Nimalla Kristappa, Modugula Venugopala Reddy, Konakalla Narayan Rao and Nirmalalli Sivaprasad are from the TDP. Savarshri A Sai Prathap, Anantha Venkatrami Reddy, L Raja Gopal, Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, V Aruna Kumar, G V Harsha Kumar, Bapi Raju Kanumuru and Sabbam Hari belong to the Congress.

    The decision to exclude 12 MPs from five sittings of the House – effectively the rest of the session – is a fairly desperate measure for the government that has been at its wits end to ensure passage of bills like food security and pension reforms. Instances of friction between parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and the opposition have added to the deadlock. Nath said he was hopeful that the food security bill will be discussed on Monday. On Saturday, some relatively less important legislation is slated for discussion. Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, was adjourned for the day amid an uproar over Telangana. Deputy chairman P J Kurien threatened to act against two TDP MPs “for holding the House to ransom” but could not do so as AIADMK and TMC opposed the move. Kurien referred to BJP in particular when he said those who wanted the PM’s reply on missing Coalgate files were not supporting action against errant members. Kurien said he would invoke rule 225 and ask for the support of the House on it. Amid noisy scenes, the coal minister made a statement on the missing Coalgate files. But uproar for united Andhra continued, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for the day.

  • Food Bill tabled in Lok Sabha amid objections

    Food Bill tabled in Lok Sabha amid objections

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The much talked about, ambitious and historical bill to replace the National Food Security Ordinance 2013 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid strong objections raised by the AIADMK and the DMK. Introducing the bill, even as Seemandhra members created an uproar over Telangana and BJP members raised slogans on the killing of jawans in Kashmir, Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas claimed the “National Food Security Bill 2013” did not infringe on the States’ rights.

    “It protects the Constitution…there is nothing against the federal system. This Bill will enable the people to get food as the right. This is the first time in the world, food is given as the right.” Earlier, the Minister withdrew a similar bill that was introduced in 2011 and which was later sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. He said many proposals made by the committee were included in the ordinance replacement bill.

    AIADMK floor leader M. Thambidurai said the bill in its present form was against the federal setup. It was actually a “food insecurity Bill.” It “is against the principles of the Constitution…interfering in the functioning of the State governments.” The Centre had unilaterally and hastily promulgated the ordinance. “Though the bill claims to provide food security to all, there are several flaws in the bill which have created serious apprehensions and raised the spectre of food insecurity for Tamil Nadu

  • President Pushes For Food, Land Bills

    President Pushes For Food, Land Bills

    NEW DELHI (TIP): President Pranab Mukherjee kickedoff the budget session of Parliament with a long list ofachievements of UPA-2 and reiterated its commitment tofood security and land acquisition, giving the first glimpseof the Congress’s 2014 election manifesto.Mukherjee’s first address to the joint sitting of the twoHouses was tailor-made to help the ruling party try andrecoup the recent drop in ratings while baiting key socialgroups like farmers, rural poor, women and the middleclasses in a poll-packed year.

    The listing of future promises and claimsof past work were, however, marred byvociferous sloganeering by Dravidianparties protesting Sri Lankan atrocitiesagainst Tamils. DMK and AIADMK heldplacards and demanded that India voteagainst the island nation at the UN. TheMPs from Telangana too raised their petstatehood issue, the invocation of emotiveissues pointing to in-house challenges forUPA in its bid to secure political turfs.Though the president underlined thetough economic situation, he painted a rosyscenario on food stocks and the agriculturefront. “My government is committed toenacting the National Food Security Bill,”he said.

    The other key UPA promise of landacquisition bill too figured prominently,with the president adding, “I am confidentthat the law will be enacted.”The mention of the bills that form part ofCongress chief Sonia Gandhi’s pro-poorfarmerbouquet reflects the time constraintfor the party to fulfill manifesto promises.It is believed that the budget session may bethe last window for Congress if it has tocarry the message of its initiatives to thepeople.While the monsoon session will beanother such opening, it carries the risk ofblockade by rivals to deprive Congress ofbragging rights ahead of polls.The very idea to have a peaceful budgetsession prompted Congress to drop the anteon home minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s”Hindu terror” remark.

    Importantly, Mukherjee also talked aboutthe clutch of anti-graft bills and the lawsand ordinance to make women safe, post-Nirbhaya. The mention of the plan forconcessional credit for handloom sector tobenefit 10 lakh handloom weavers flaggedthe Congress outreach to the minoritycommunity.Rivals as well as allies dismissed theaddress as not amounting to much. BJPspokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said thepresident’s address was merely a “grocerylist” of what the government did for thewhole year and did not give any futurepicture. SP leader Ramgopal Yadav said,”The speech was hopeless, there wasnothing in it.”

  • Kejriwal’s Party To Launch Its Own News Channel

    Kejriwal’s Party To Launch Its Own News Channel

    Channel will fight for the rights of common man
    NEW DELHI (TIP): Social activist Arvind Kejriwal’sAam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its decision tolaunch its own news channel to focus on common issuesand propagate the party ideology.A decision to this effect was taken by the fledglingparty’s executive.To start with, the party will use the YouTubeplatform to upload three hour-hour news capsules. Afull-fledged channel would go on the air by the end ofthis year to coincide with state assembly elections inDelhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.The Aam Aadmi Party launched in October last yearis expected to make its electoral debut in these stateelections before contesting the next year’s generalelections.

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    Former television journalist Shazia Ilmi, who isclosely associated with AAP, would head the channel.According to Manoj Sisodia, a close confidante ofKejriwal, the channel would focus on news concerningthe common man and provide them a platform to fightfor their rights. The channel would in all probability benamed after the party.Political parties, particularly down south are knownto run news channels. Tamil Nadu chief minister JJayalalithaa’s All India Anna Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (AIADMK) runs Jaya TV, Kalaignar TV isassociated with her arch-rival M. Karunanidhi’sDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

    In neighbouringKerala, the Congress party runs Jaihind channel whilethe Left Front runs Kairali TV.The need to launch its own television channel wasfelt after Kejriwal, who broke away with anticorruptioncrusader Anna Hazare to enter into politics,felt several news channels had started avoidingfollowing deformation suit filed on behalf ofindustrialist and richest Indian Mukesh Ambani afterthey telecast in November live a press conference ofKejriwal in which he accused Ambani-owned RelianceIndustries Limited of being involved in several corruptpractices, particularly in the fields of petroleum andnatural gas.

    Kejriwal recently reacted by daring Ambani to takehim to court since he addressed the press conferenceand termed the deformation notice as attempt tobrowbeat privately-owned news channels.It is not yet clear if the information and broadcastingministry, which had laid down guidelines to denypolitical parties access to television channels, wouldissue the necessary clearance for launch of theproposed channel.

  • How can lawbreakers make anti-rape laws: Verma panel

    How can lawbreakers make anti-rape laws: Verma panel

    NEW DELHI (TIP): How can a Parliament comprising persons with criminal record pass an effective criminal law amendment reform? The Justice JS Verma committee has asked the government this vital question in its report on the anti-rape law. As many as 17 per cent MPs of the current Lok Sabha face heinous offence charges, including crimes against women; two MPs — Semmalai S (AIADMK) and Adhikari Suvendu (TMC) — have stated on oath to the Election Commission that they have been charged with cruelty (IPC 498 A) and use of force on a woman with the intent of outraging her modesty (354 IPC), respectively. In 2009 LS polls, political parties had fielded six candidates who admitted to charges of rape and 34 who admitted to various crimes against women like molestation.

    Analysing the trend of unabated fielding of tainted candidates by political parties, the Verma committee has now demanded accountability of politicians and sought a comprehensive law on the internal working of political parties which should filter candidates before fielding them. The panel has mooted amendments to the current Representation of People’s Act 1951 to say that a candidate would be disqualified from election contest once a court takes cognisance of his crime and not essentially once he is convicted for a serious offence (the case presently). “Barring people with criminal records from entering politics would be the easiest way to cleanse lawmaking bodies of the present day malady.

    A Parliament which consists of people with criminal records is unlikely to pass any effective Criminal Law Amendment reform because there is a distinct conflict of interest. We hope MPs chargesheeted for criminal offences of a heinous nature demit offices. We can only appeal,” the committee has said. To cleanse the system, it has recommended the adoption of UK Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act-2000 in India and laid down its implementation to enforce the following principles — criteria for admission to a political party; ensuring its internal democracy and code of conduct and refusal by parties to field candidates with criminal history.

    In the absence of these checks, tainted candidates are blatantly entering the legislatures and Parliament. Political parties fielded 27 candidates charged with rape in different Assembly elections during the past five years; six of them won. Three belong to the Samajwadi Party; one each to the BSP; the BJP and the TDP. Over the past 10 years, 20% people elected to various state assemblies and Lok Sabha are such who have been either charged with or convicted for heinous offences, including rape. The Verma panel further discovered another anomaly in the current laws. Though the RP Act requires MPs/MLAs to give affidavits to the EC declaring charges framed against them in heinous offences, it doesn’t give EC the power to verify these affidavits. On receipt of false information, a returning officer is allowed to simply file a complaint to the magistrate for prosecuting the MP/MLA under Section 125 A of the RP Act which prescribes a punishment.

    UN takes note of Delhi gang rape
    Invoking the brutal Delhi gang rape, Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet said the public outrage over the incident has echoed worldover and stressed that “this senseless violence” must be condemned and perpetrators brought to justice.

  • Two MPs, 6 Legislators Face Rape Charges: Reports

    Two MPs, 6 Legislators Face Rape Charges: Reports

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Two sitting MPsand six sitting legislators in differentstates were fielded by their partiesdespite cases of crimes againstwomen pending against them, a thinktank said on Thursday, four days aftera 23-year-old medical student wasgangraped in Delhi. Data compiled byAssociation for Democratic Reforms(ADR) showed that parties like theCongress, Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP) andBahujan Samaj Party (BSP) gavetickets to candidates with charges ofrape and other atrocities againstwomen in different states.

    Referring to affidavits filed bylawmakers ahead of their election,ADR said MPs S Semmalai of theAIADMK from Salem constituency inTamil Nadu and Suvendu Adhikari ofthe Trinamool Congress from Tamlukconstituency in West Bengal declaredthat they were facing charges ofcruelty and intent to outrage awoman’s modesty. There were sixlegislators across state assemblieswith rape charges against them, itsaid. Another 36 legislators declaredthat they were facing charges such asassault and molestation, it said.The think tank said that out of thesix legislators with rape cases, threewere from Uttar Pradesh andmembers of the SP.

    They are:Sribhagwan Sharma, Anoop Sandaand Manoj Kumar Paras. The threeother legislators facing rape chargeswere: Mohd Aleem Khan of the BJPin Uttar Pradesh, Jethabhai G Ahirof the BJP in Gujarat andKandikunta Venkata Prasad of theTelugu Desam Party in AndhraPradesh.Of the 36 legislators, who declaredin their affidavits that they werefacing charges of crimes againstwomen, six were from the Congress,five from the BJP and three from theSP, ADR said. Uttar Pradesh has themaximum number of legislators(eight) who declared in their affidavitsthat they were facing charges ofcrimes against women, followed byOdisha and West Bengal with sevenlawmakers each.The think tank said 27 candidateswith rape charges contested differentstate elections in the past five years.

  • Parliament disrupted for 13th day on coal issue

    Parliament disrupted for 13th day on coal issue

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Parliament was disrupted even on the last day of the Monsoon Session on September 7 with BJP members insisting on their demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the issue of coal block allocation. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon after opposition triggered ruckus on the issue. This was for the 13th consecutive day that Parliament was adjourned without transacting any significant business amid stormy scenes over coal block allocation and some other issues. AIADMK members were in the Well waving copies of a newspaper carrying reports of Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s alleged involvement in a land grab case. DMK members were protesting against the upcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India. In the Lok Sabha, BJP members trooped to the Well as soon as Speaker Meira Kumar took up the Question Hour. They raised slogans demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. The House plunged into turmoil as AIADMK and DMK members also joined the BJP members and raised different issues.

    The Speaker adjourned the proceedings till noon within a minute of convening the House. In the Rajya Sabha, soon after Chairman Hamid Ansari announced the retirement of Secretary General V K Agnihotri, BJP members raised slogans against the government on the alleged coal scam. Some SP and AIADMK members too were up on their feet but could not be heard in the din. As the slogan shouting members were unrelenting, Ansari adjourned the House till noon. Earlier, the House appreciated Agnihotri, a 1968-batch IAS officer, for “devotion” and “dedication” towards his duties

  • Seven parties protest disruption, want coal allocations probed

    Seven parties protest disruption, want coal allocations probed

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Upset with the BJP’s repeated disruption of Parliament over coal blocks issue, seven political parties on Aug 30 came together in protest against the BJP and also decided to press for a judicial inquiry into the allocation of coal blocks. To underscore the sullen mood, these parties including, the SP, the Left and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), decided to stage a sit-in in front of Parliament tomorrow to demand a judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court judge and cancellation of the allocation.

    After the attempt to forge unity among opposition parties failed to materialise on Monday, leaders of the Left parties convinced the SP chief to convene a meeting of non-UPA, non- NDA parties that made headway today. Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Basudeb Acharia (CPM), Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) and N Nageswara Rao (TDP), said all parties were keen that an inquiry be held into the issue, the guilty punished and Parliament get going. Attempts are on to rope in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

    Meanwhile, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement in Parliament as a “brazen attempt to defend an indefensible policy”. He also criticised the BJP for its hypocrisy in disrupting Parliament demanding resignation of the PM. “It (the BJP) had pioneered the captive coal block route. It brought the coal privatisation Bill in Parliament. The NDA government had deregulated coal pricing and taken a series of steps to weaken Coal India Limited (CIL),” he said. On the suggestion to switch over to competitive bidding, Karat felt the move would lead to private monopoly and formation of cartels with public utilities and state-run corporations unable to compete.