Coal scam issue: SP leads dharna outside Parliament

SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and MPs from TDP and Left parties today sat on a dharna in front of Parliament House to seek a judicial inquiry into coal blocks allocation.

Eight parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Left, have joined hands to protest the continued disruption of Parliament and are demanding a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the coal block allocation issue.

"Our attempt is to unite non-NDA, non-UPA parties to demarcate ourselves from BJP and Congress, both of which are involved in corruption relating to mining and therefore do not want a debate in Parliament," CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia had said yesterday.

Acharia had said the BJP had also made similar allocation of coal blocks in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, apart from the mining scam in Karnataka.

Leaders of SP, CPI, CPI(M) and TDP met yesterday in the backdrop of Parliament failing to transact any business for almost two weeks, with the BJP continuing to create ruckus by pressing its demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Later talking to reporters, Yadav said, "We demand that a sitting Supreme Court judge or the CBI should inquire into the scam. If they don't order a probe, we will fight at the national level and go to the people on the issue".

Asked if the parties would continue to be together in the future and whether this was the beginning of a third front, he said, "This will continue and whatever you want to think, you can do that.

"We want the coal block licences should be cancelled and there should be a discussion on the issue in Parliament," he said.

He said the government should be made accountable in both the houses.

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said, "Both BJP and Congress want to avoid a discussion because they don't want it. If there is no discussion, many of their secrets will remain safe."

Asked if Yadav could be trusted, he said, "That is why we are saying that only time will tell what will happen in the future".

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said, "We have united to fight corruption and the efforts to destroy Parliamentary democracy. This will not only be in Parliament but outside also. This is the beginning of a new day and era".

TDP leader Nama Nageshwara Rao said, "We want the government to cancel the allocation of coal blocks".

He alleged that both Congress and BJP were involved in loot of iron ore in Karnataka.