Quit and then face CBI probe, BJP tells PM

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh should resign from his post and then face CBI enquiry in coal allocation scam.

It would demean sanctity of the high constitutional post of the Prime Minister if the CBI questions him in the coal scam and so he must tender his resignation on moral grounds before submitting himself to probe, Rudy said while speaking to reporters at BJP state office in Nampally.

He charged Manmohan Singh of adopting double standards while choosing to appear before inquiry commissions. The Prime Minister had earlier volunteered to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in another scam, but had later refused to do so citing certain rules, he added.

Rudy slammed the Nitish Kumar government, holding it responsible for the recent bomb-blasts in Patna. When questioned about any chance of tie-up with Telugu Desam Party in the State, he said, “Though we respect our alliance partners, I cannot comment on this issue now.” He also said that Left-led Third Front would not materialise since the communists were decimated and lost their ground across the nation.

Rs 2,500 crore for Sardar Patel statue

At a press conference held earlier in the day, BJP senior leader Dr K Laxman informed that Rs 2,500 crore would be spent on constructing the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which would be of the height of a 60-storeyed building. He stated that the State party unit would collect iron materials from farmers in Telangana to contribute to the giant statue.

City BJP wants ban on hookah centres

Meanwhile, a delegation led by ex-corporator and BJP Greater Hyderabad president B Venkat Reddy, on Tuesday, met the Commissioner of Police Anurag Sharma and submitted a memorandum seeking the ban of hookah centres, clubs and pubs and strict implementation of ban on Gutkha as well. “Though the ban has been there for almost six months now, but its implementation is too tardy and gives an impression that the police department is not at all serious in collaborating with the health officers in implementing the ban effectively,” they said. The memorandum submitted to the police chief was signed by BJP Greater Hyderabad general secretaries, BJP Yuva Morcha president and BJP Mahila Morcha president.