All-party meet to end coal-gate logjam likely on Monday

Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday indicating that it would continue to obstruct the Parliament to demand Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over Comptroller and Auditor General's report on coal block allocations, the government is likely to make an attempt on Monday to convene an all-party meet to end the logjam.

"I am given to understand on information received that on Monday there would be an attempt to call an all-party meet," Minister of State for Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar told the meet.

Kumar, however, clarified he was not aware of any specific decisions having been taken "at this point of time".

The minister described as "completely flawed, without basis and fact, and utterly untenable and unacceptable" BJP's strategy of stalling both houses of Parliament to seek Dr Singh's resignation.

"It also amounts to contempt of the Parliament by virtue of being an insult and affront to the sensitivities and expectations of the people of the country," he said.

The government, he said, was committed to devoting an "unlimited" time to a debate on the recent CAG report which said the state exchequer lost out on a potential revenue of up to Rs 1,86,000 crore in coal block allocations.

The BJP, he said, knows "it has no legs to stand on" in case of a debate and is hence "shying away" from facing the Parliament.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley earlier on Saturday hinted that the party will continue to gun for the PM and justified loss of time in the Parliament, saying, "There are occasions when obstruction in Parliament brings greater benefit to the country."

Kumar also rubbished speculation of an early elections saying let the opposition "continue to dream".