SC order will help govt to explain stand on coal issue: Congress

The Supreme Court order on coal issue will give the government an opportunity to explain its stand which it failed to do in Parliament due to disruptions by the BJP, the Congress on Friday said.

"We are happy that the government is getting an opportunity to explain the modus operandi of coal block allocation. We wanted to do it in Parliament but could not because of disruptions by the opposition.

"We are happy that the government got this opportunity. Government will reply to the Supreme Court queries... We are quite confident that we will be able to convince the Supreme Court...," party spokesperson PC Chacko told reporters.

His comments came as the apex court on Friday refused to entertain a government's plea not to hear a PIL on the alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks and sought an explanation whether guidelines were flouted in allotments.

Hitting out at the BJP for the complete washout of the monsoon session of Parliament on the coal issue, Chacko said that the principal Opposition party did it even most of the parties including some NDA allies favoured a debate on it.

"The BJP is now groping in darkness on where to go from here now," he said ridiculing it for leading a delegation to President Pranab Mukherjee complaining of Congress denigrating Constitutional institutions like the CAG.

"This reflects the underlying sense of guilt that has started pricking the conscience of the BJP. They should have gone for introspection instead of going to the President," Chacko said, citing several instances that leaders of the BJP and the NDA had used humiliating words against the CAG in past.

Referring to a comment by Arun Jaitley justifying disruption of Parliament in a certain context, Chacko said, "No sensible person will share this logic and perception" of him.