Coal blocks are as easily available as rail tickets: NDA

The National Democratic Alliance is united in its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cancellation of coal block allotments done by UPA government and their auctioning, its Convenor Sharad Yadav said on Thursday.

"NDA held a meeting chaired by (BJP leader) L K Advani today and all constitutent parties attended it. All these reports are coming out...NDA was united and will always remain united," Yadav, who is the JD-U chief, told reporters outside Parliament House

He reiterated NDA's demand for the Prime Minister's resignation.

"We appeal to the Prime Minister to take moral responsibility. Coal blocks are as easily available as rail tickets," he said.

Referring to the controversy over Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay writing to the Prime Minister seeking his personal intervention for allotment of two coal blocks, Yadav said the request was granted "the very next day".

"Therefore, we want these three issues should be resolved and then Parliament should run. An impartial inquiry should be done," he said referring to the NDA demands.

Maintaining that Parliament will continue to be stalled unless their demands are addressed, Yadav said they were waiting for the Prime Minister's return from Iran.

"I never said that," shot back Yadav when asked about his reported remarks that Parliament should run.

He, though, refused to comment about SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav demanding an inquiry into the coal blocks allocation by a sitting Supreme Court judge and deciding to stage a dharna in front of Parliament House tomorrow.

When asked about the passage of the Chemical Weapons Convention (Amendment) Bill, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Amendment) amid din in Lok Sabha, he said his party was also in favour of the passage of these Bills.