Taking exception to Congress president Sonia Gandhi reportedly asking her party men to launch a counter-offensive against the BJP, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha today accused Gandhi of being "arrogant" as her party was trying to "dilute" the coal block issue through debate.
"Sonia Gandhi asks her Congress members to attack the BJP on the coal block allocation issue. Is this the way to say?" Sinha said at a press conference here.
"Compare this with the polite approach shown by ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who once asked the BJP to reach out the opposition on an issue during Parliament session," he added.
"Also when I had raised the Aircel-Maxis issue against P Chidambaram, orders were given to tap my telephones and those of my family members. We are not afraid. The BJP will not succumb to such pressure or threats.
"The Congress wants to dilute the coal block allocations by seeking debates. But we know what will happen. Debates will continue till 8 pm or so, and the prime minister would give a reply, and the matter is diluted. Thereafter, one cannot raise the issue for the second time," Sinha said to a query on the impasse over the coal block allocations.
He referred to scenes created by the Congress during a meeting of Murali Manohar Joshi-headed Public Accounts Committee which had probed another matter last year.
"We will continue to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister. The people are above Parliament, and the BJP will go to the people on the issue," he said.
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