WAR OVER BURNING COAL > The desire for P.M. to resign is receeding with him on a foreign tour.The > battle cry of BJP has no takers and theCongress has ruled out bringing in > no confidence motion. it could be the best option for BJP, but its > implications are forgone conclusions. Trying to riggle out of the > situation, BJP has changed the tune and wants an Special Investigation > Team, scraping and. auction of 142 blocks denovo,CBI inquiry encompassing > politicians , bureaucrats, screening committee and transparent method of > alloting coal blocks with a fresh screening committee. Will scrapping of > coal blocks apply to the coal blocks granted by NDA too? The Congress is > trumpheting only one sensible message" Come and discuss in the Parliament" > The logjam is going to continue and the UPA II will do nothing drastic, but > just stand and watch like earlier occasion, report to the Parliament daily > and test their patience and wear them out to National ridicule.. It is > very sad that the P.M is not allowed to make a statement, his right and > the right of the people of India to hear his views Such obstrutionisn in a > democracy does not bode well for its functioning and survival These are > repugnant , dangerous bad precedents .Pre conditions cannot preface a > debate and that is ilogical demand of the opposition. The so called > National debate in the media, only reiterated their known hardening > positions and they wer sketchy on substance. The P.M has refrained from > comments on personal dignity, accusations with contempt of silence it > deserves. Mrs Shusma of BJP was not all convincing and was not a poor > choice to drive the message The UPAII spokes persons demolished their > arguments with facts with politeness and without any rancour or personal > attacks.The remarks of the P.M that in the CAG report that there are > contradictions, inaccuracies in the findings and that it will take > reccourse to legal actions, amounted to assault on constitutional body, > subverting it and atattacking their functions in defiance of ethics. The > NDA in 2000, considered the auction route for allocation. but the protests > from their own states led to abandoning of the method, The UPA II with all > the delays has at least managed to get every on board for the auction > route, rthough implementation is tardy. Most of the blocks are in BJP ruled > states .except 4 in Maharashtra and where the States want exclusive use of > National resourceThe states have a say only in case of minor minerals and > the decision otherwise rests with the centre The allotment of 142 coal > blocks without auction was to expedite the extraction of coal to meet the > demand of power, steel and cement, but most of the coal blocks remained > unmined to this date, frustrating the purpose and justification.It appears > that it takes a minimum of 3 years for the gestation of coal in view of > clearances from environment, naxal affective areas. The change of the > environment Minister did not usher in the change that was envisaged.The > huge leap in the fortunes of the compamnies alloted coal blocks without > mining is explained as non existence surge in potential growth and demand. > It is again argued that auction will make the coal expensive and will have > its telling effect on prices of electricity, cement and steel. which in > turn will depress the demand and hence the growth. The BJP feel that P.M > must resign on moral responsibilty, being in charge of coal Ministry, in > the same way as A Raja was eased out on similar grounds The continuation of > P.M. in office will be detrimental to a fair inquiry, they opine The war > bugle sounded by BJP for early election , sensing the mood against the > UPAII may receive support from S.P., Mamta, Mayawati, Jayalalita, but the > safety factor and need to consolidate power is paramount, as the elctions > throw out most unpredictable results The UPAII has thrown a challenge to > debate it in the Parliament and then take the necessary measures to unearth > the truth, For the time being the NDA and the Congres are bent upon > exposing each other , except the truth, whereas all other partes are > enjoying the ring side view without committing one way or the other, BJP > knows well that it will loose hands down on number game and therefore will > not bring in the no confidence motion, which would have met their demands > honourably, instead of resoting to subterfuge, goondaism and paralysing the > Parliament > Nelson Lopes Chinchinim
