Why Cong silent over Vadra deals, coal-gate, asks BJP

Cornered over charges of dubious funding of party president Nitin Gadkari's Purti Group, the Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday hit out at ruling Congress asking why no action is being taken against Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vardra in land deals and the prime minister in the coal allocation scam.

"Congress is attacking the Opposition. BJP would like to ask some straight questions. Why are the wrongdoings of Robert Vadra not being investigated? Why are the facts being hidden from the public? Why is there an attempt to shield him?" BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The party alleged that Vadra has been allotted big chunks of land in Rajasthan and Haryana at throw-away prices in complete violation of rules.

"Why is the Congress maintaining a conspicuous silence on this issue?" Prasad said.

The principal Opposition also dragged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh into its line of fire.

"What was the role of the prime minister in coalgate and why is it not being probed? He was the coal minister when the coal block allocations were made. Is he not answerable for it?" Prasad said.

The party also asked why Singh is not willing to attend the Joint Parliamentary Committee looking into the 2G spectrum allocations when he earlier offered to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.

The BJP alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are being prevented from undertaking a fair probe into the Malaysian angle in the Aircel-Maxis deal and sought to know "who is pressurising these bodies".

Prasad said though the prime minister had promised in Parliament that he will take action on the findings of the Shunglu Committee, he has not done so. He insisted that the Sheila Dikshit led Delhi government has been indicted by the panel in the Commonwealth Games projects.