Congress downplays SP, Left demand for coal blocks probe

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The Congress Thursday did not reject outright the demand of the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties for a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the coal allocation but indicated that it would not be accepted.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who addressed the party briefing, did not directly comment on the demand by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, but said he (Mulayam Singh) was the chief of his party and a response to his demand would have to come from the Congress chief.

"He is a respected leader. If a response comes from party chief (Sonia Gandhi), then (we will let it be known). For me (to respond), it will be talking big," Khurshid said.

Party leaders informally said that there was no probability of the demand being accepted.

Mulayam Singh, along with Communist Party of India's Gurudas Dasgupta, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Basudeb Acharia and Telegu Desam Party's Nama Nageswara Rao, said they will demonstrate in Parliament House complex Friday to demand the resumption of the session of the two houses and a debate on the coal allocation issue.

The parties also demanded that an apex court judge should investigate the coal block allocation that has rocked parliament and led the Bharatiya Janata Party to disrupt proceedings for over a week now as it insists on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation.