The impasse in the Parliament over the CAG report on coal block allocation loss appears to be far from over, with the main opposition BJP showing no sign of softening its stand on the issue.
The sessions at both Houses stalled for the fourth straight day on Friday, as the Opposition hampered the proceedings by demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, based on the CAG report on the Coalgate controversy.
The Opposition parties are visibly not ready to settle down for anything less than the resignation of the incumbent Prime Minister, who was overseeing the coal ministry between 2006 and 2009.
The CAG conducted audits on the initiatives starting 2004 in coal allocation and augmentation of coal production. Blaming the lapses in government's procedure in allotting the coal blocks to some private and public-private firms, the CAG has affirmed massive monetary losses to the state exchequer.
The audit report has caused further embarrassment for the Congress, which has several corruption allegations against it under its belt. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties mainly the BJP are seeking an opportunity in the latest controversy to take down the 'corrupt' UPA government.
Although, the government is offering to take the CAG reports for discussion on the floor of the House, the Opposition parties remain unrelenting. The Prime Minister has also announced to make a statement on the alleged lapses in coal block allocations in the Parliament.
Back in 2010, the Winter session in both Houses concluded virtually without functioning owing to the Government-Opposition standoff over initiating a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G Spectrum scam, which caused about ₹1760 billion loss to the exchequer.
The government incurred a whopping loss of ₹146 owing to the 23 days of consecutive Parliament logjam without any substantial businesses.
Akin to the 2010 Winter session, the Parliament is presently occupied with the Coalgate case, following the CAG's audit report which calculated the loss at ₹1860 billion to the exchequer in the allocation of coal blocks.
As many as 100 crucial bills await Parliamentarians' approval. If the Opposition continues to stall the functions at the Parliament throughout the Monsoon session, it could spell more troubles for the UPA government which is struggling to gain clearance for some crucial bills just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The presiding officers of both the Houses are undertaking all efforts to break the ongoing impasse and make way for general Parliamentary functions as in debates, passing the bills, Question Hour and other official businesses.
