Uproar in Indian parliament over missing files in coal scam

The Indian parliament was Tuesday adjourned on a number of occasions following huge uproar by opposition parties, mainly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over some missing files in the multi-million-dollar coal scam. Both houses of the parliament -- the Lower House (Lok Sabha) and the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) -- witnessed massive disruptions as the BJP demanded a statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the missing files related to the allocation of coal blocks. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the prime minister should make a statement on the issue, while his party colleagues created ruckus in Rajya Sabha, forcing Chairperson Hamid Ansari to adjourn the House, first for 10 minutes, then again at least twice. In Lok Sabha, similar scenes were witnessed. BJP's leader of the opposition Sushma Swaraj raised the issue in Lok Sabha and demanded the prime minister come to the House and assure members that the CBI probe would not be hampered due to the missing files. Speaker Meira Kumar was forced to adjourn Lok Sabha. Indian Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told the parliament that a committee has been constituted to probe into the issue of missing files. "I would like to assure the House that my ministry would leave no stone unturned in tracing and providing the documents sought by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," he said. Jaiswal, who reportedly last week admitted that some files relating to the coal scam was missing, also said he was ready to accept any punishment if his involvement was established. The CBI, the country's premier probe agency, is currently investigating the multi-million-dollar coal scam which pertains to allegations of misselling of coal blocks to private companies from 2004 to 2009 when the prime minister held the coal portfolio. The scam, dubbed as coalgate by the opposition, was unearthed by government auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The prime minister has denied any involvement in the scam.