'Quit PM' demand over CAG unconstitutional: Coal minister

As Bhartiya Janata Party, the main Opposition party stalled Parliament demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over CAG report on coal allocation, the ruling party claimed they cannot be held guilty without a fair debate.

In a stormy interview with Shereen Bhan of CNBC-TV18, Union coal minister Shriprakash Jaiswal said it was unconstitutional to demand PM's resignation on the basis of CAG report and vehemently opposed the suggestion of a failure of political management over the issue. The CAG report, made public last week, indicated the country has suffered a notional loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore due to `ill' allocation of coal. Coal allocations: Mamata rebuffs BJP over PM's resignation
The Opposition is in no mood to relent on the coal blocks allocations issue. The BJP held a parliamentary party meeting ahead of Wednesday's session in the morning and said that it would continue protesting inside the House. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said that there was no "meaning in getting an explanation from the government". "We will continue protesting inside the House," he said. Meanwhile, key BJP ally JD(U) said that it was not in favour of demanding the PM's resignation over the issue. The party wants discussion on all issues, said JDU sources. Congress, however, said that the BJP would wilfully block Parliament as it had skeletons in its own cupboard. Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said that it was not clear why the Opposition was shying away from discussion. "It would be unfortunate if they repeat what happened in the House yesterday. The BJP said it won't let the House function. It has skeletons in its own cupboard." Catch the full interview on CNBC-TV