BJP hits out at Sonia for defending PM on coal blocks issue

New Delhi, April 24: Accusing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of "arrogance" after she dismissed its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation on coal blocks issue, BJP on April 23 demanded that original CBI affidavit on status report and emails sent to the agency by PMO be made public.

While Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said he was not surprised at Gandhi's response to their demand, BJP deputy leader in the Upper House Ravi Shankar Prasad did not wish to comment on her "arrogant style".

The BJP response came within hours of the Congress President dismissing the opposition demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the coal block issue with a terse "Let them ask" remark.

Jaitley said that Gandhi may see Singh's alleged role in the coal allocation case as a "virtue" but BJP feels this is nothing less than a scam.

"I don't wish to comment upon the arrogant style of Madam Sonia Gandhi if she gave this remark. But atleast in all humility, I would expect a reply from Madam Sonia Gandhi who has been Congress President that how is it and why is it that the JPC report by one of its own Congress leader Ram Niwas Mirdha is praised even today including its conduct, while that of its own Congress leader P C Chacko is open to so much of doubt, including its credentials," Prasad said.

Jaitley sought to know what was the need for the Law Minister to call the CBI director, Law officers and others to see the report and make changes in it. Prasad found the government contention that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar was only making "grammatical corrections" as surprising and said, "This is the first direct evidence of government interference in CBI. This is the first time CBI required tutorship of Law Minister to correct its english."

"BJP demands that the original status report through affidavit of the CBI which was prepared before the meeting at the office of the Law Minister and what were grammatical errors supposedly corrected by the law minister in his capacity as the tutor of the CBI teaching English. This the nation must know," he said.

PTI