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The deadlock in Parliament over coal blocks allocation continued yet again on Tuesday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition sticking to its demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's resignation. Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have been adjourned till noon. The 'Coalgate' has paralysed parliament after the CAG report said that the under-priced sales of coalfields would have cost the national exchequer as much as 33 billion dollars in lost revenues. The BJP is demanding the resignation of Dr. Singh since he headed the Coal Ministry between 2006 and 2009, when many of the sales occurred. However, Dr. Singh had rejected the CAG's observations as 'misleading' and 'flawed', and blamed the opposition parties for thwarting the efforts of his government to bring a policy of competitive bidding. Dr. Singh also ruled out any possibility of quitting the top post despite the BJP firm on its demand for his resignation over the coal blocks allocation issue. Interaction with mediapersons onboard the special plane while returning to New Delhi from Tehran after attending the 16th NAM summit, Dr. Singh said that he can't get into a war of words with political leaders, and added that he has to maintain the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister.

Coal blocks allocation: Parliament impasse continues, both Houses adjourned