Targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the CBI’s status report on the coal blocks allocation scam, the BJP will take to the streets on May 4 and 5 in all state capitals to protest the alleged “massive cover-up” of corruption.
The main opposition party has decided to hold demonstrations and agitations across the country, as “an abominable attempt is being made by the Congress Government to cover-up the corruption that has surfaced in the coal blocks issue,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.
“The BJP has decided to take this fight against corruption and massive cover-up from Parliament to the people of the country. Memorandum will be presented to all state governors in this regard,” he said, in the wake of the prime minister defending Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar for vetting the CBI status report before it was presented before the Supreme Court.
Rejecting the PM’s strong defence of Ashwani Kumar, the BJP leader alleged that Singh was using his minister as “a shield” to protect himself from blame, as a joint secretary-level officer from the prime minister’s office too had vetted the status report.
The CBI had, on Friday, submitted an affidavit before the apex court stating that its officials had shown the status report to the law minister and an official each from the PMO and the Coal Ministry.
“The law minister did it with the direct consent and order from the prime minister. So the prime minister’s complicity and culpability is also very much established.
“He (Ashwani Kumar) looked at the CBI report at the instance of the PM,” Javadekar said.
“The prime minister says that the law minister will not resign. He is using the latter as a shield and hence protecting him,” he said.
Referring to the PM’s attack on the Opposition for not allowing Parliament to function and making a mockery of the democratic system for which the whole world was laughing at India, Javadekar said, “the fact is that they (the world nations) are laughing at us (Indians) for the corruption in the country and how attempts are being made to cover it up.”
Javadekar said the Congress and the government were running away from discussion on its cover-up of corruption and hence, were not allowing Parliament to function.
“The BJP is ready to discuss all issues. But for that, the government has to take action in the coal scam. The law minister has to resign and the JPC report on the 2G spectrum scam must be withdrawn,” he said.
He also wondered why the Central Vigilance Commission, whose report led to the CBI probe into the coal blocks allocation, had not demanded to see the report so far. “This is enough. You have not been give a license to loot the nation,” Javadekar told the Congress.