The government has dismissed the demand of the opposition for cancellation of 142 licences in coal block allocation. It also rejected the allegations that the Congress party got bribes in the case. Addressing a joint press conference in New Delhi last evening, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram took strong exception to the BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's comment that the government made hefty gains in allocating coal blocks to private parties. The BJP alleged that the policy of competitive bidding made in 2004 was not implemented till 2012.

Mr Chidambaram said that the Prime Minister's long and detailed statement deserves to be debated in Parliament to clarify the issue. Criticising the BJP for stalling Parliament, Mr Chidambaram said everyday debates outside the Parliament weaken democracy.