SP, BJP target Jaiswal in coal block case

The opposition trained guns at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on Tuesday, targeting the coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

The Samajwadi Party held Jaiswal responsible for allocating three coal blocks 'one hour of taking charge' as minister in the second UPA regime. Jaiswal has, however, said that he did not sanction even a single coal block during his ministerial stint, and allocation letters of only two coal blocks, which were approved during the first stint of the UPA regime, were issued by him.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also criticised Jaiswal on the issue. It said that party leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi were scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to build pressure on the government. 

The BJP sources said that party leaders were likely to demand resignation of prime minister, cancellation of coal blocks and a probe by special investigation team into the allocations.