The Opposition and the Government’s face-off seems set to intensify as PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday categorically rejected BJP’s demand for his and law Minister Ashwani Kumar’s resignation over the coal scam issue.
Saying that the “whole world is laughing at us” and “we are making mockery of our system of democracy by not letting Parliament to function”, he appealed to the Opposition to let the House function.
However, BJP made it clear that the "PM should first resign" for any discussion to take place. BJP spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi charged that the Government has lost the confidence of legislature, executive and judiciary as was evident from the PMO and law Minister interfering into the CBI investigation into coal scam.
"The PM's rejection of law Minister's resignation reflects that Singh is thanking him for saving him in coal scam," Trivedi said adding it was the Government which had failed to ensure a smooth functioning of the Parliament.
The SC is to take up the CBI's affidavit on April 30 and its stand on the matter will be crucial to the next course of action for both the Opposition and the Government.
Charging the Government for trying to influence the working of the premier investigation agency, the CPI also called for Ashwani Kumar's resignation and sought a clarification from the PM.
Earlier, the PM made light of the demand for his resignation by reminding that this is not the first time in the past nine years of UPA rule that such a demand has been made.
He also said there is no question of the law Minister resigning and rejected the BJP's charge that he was using the law Minister as a shield in the coal scam. "The matter is now in the court and it is sub-judice. It is not proper for me to do anything," Singh told the media on the sidelines of a function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The PM's appeal to the Opposition reflects the Government desperation to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament to pass the Finance Bill. Its hopes of passing contentious land Acquisition Bill and the Food Security Bill in the Budget Session to reap electoral dividends in the lok Sabha polls next year has been dashed due to the continued impasse in the Parliament for past one week.