BJP targets Congress leadership over Shinde's remarks

Referring to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's statement that coal block allocation scam would be soon forgotten, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde said that one day people could also forget Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

"People forgot Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and they can forget Sonia Gandhi too," Munde, BJP's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha told reporters.

"People had defeated Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and one day Sonia Gandhi, too, will be defeated," he added.

Alleging that the UPA government was misleading the common people and farmers by bringing in FDI in multi-brand retail, he demanded an immediate withdrawal of the decision.

"The decision on FDI as well as the fuel price hike should be withdrawn," he said.

The BJP leader said that common retailers would be hit by the FDI decision. "Almost 80 per cent retailers would be affected by it," he claimed.

Munde also alleged that the government took these decisions "to divert people's attention from the coal scam."

He said that government neither consulted the opposition parties nor the chief ministers before taking this decision.

"Even the alliance partners were not informed about the FDI decision," he said.

Munde reiterated his party's demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should resign for his "involvement" in the coal block allocation scam and further demanded cancellation of licenses in coal block allocations.

The BJP leader said that transport services like taxis, autorickshaws and buses would be excluded from the September 20 Bharat bandh.