CII's opposition to cancellation of coal blocks earns BJP's wrath

NEW DELHI: CII's opposition to cancellation of coal blocks has earned BJP's wrath. BJP leader Arun Jaitley has expressed reservations about the stand taken by CII and Assocham. "It was an opportunity to stand up against a scandalous allocation. They failed to rise to the occasion," he told reporters about CII president Adi Godrej's remarks.

"It is a term used often by the Left. But I have no doubt in saying the arbitrary way in which allotments were made, it was a textbook case of crony capitalism,"Arun Jaitley said.

Adi Godrej had said that the government should not cancel the allocation of coal blocks simply because there is a political demand to do so. "Every thing should go by law. Action should not be taken because there is a political demand," he had said. The government cannot unilaterally take such a decision without giving out details. Adi Godrej said that the current slowdown was a cyclical problem that can be tackled through policy initiatives.