Opposition slams Sushil Kumar Shinde's 'people will forget coal row' remark

NEW DELHI: Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde set off a flurry of outrage when he sought to play down the coal gate allocation controversy by claiming, "earlier the Bofors was a talking point. People forgot about it. Now it is coal. This too will be forgotten."

The home minister was speaking at a function in Pune on Saturday, when he added, "once hands are washed with coal they become clean again." He drew attention to scams during the NDA regime too, which seemed to have faded from public memory. "How many people remember the petrol pump scam during NDA?"

Opposition members from nearly all parties condemned what many termed as a 'cavalier attitude' to both corruption and public memory. BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj said, "Congress would do well to remember that despite having more than 400 MPs in the 1984 polls, the Bofors scandal resulted in it losing the next elections. Public memory should not be played around with," he said.

Sharad Yadav of JD (U) had a 'friendly advice' for Shinde. "He is an old friend and has recently come to Delhi. His importance is due to Congress. But it would be better if he confines himself to speaking about the home ministry. He should speak less on political issues," he said.

In Mumbai, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray said, "Shinde's statement only reflects the overall attitude of the UPA government." His party MP, Sanjay Raut, punned on the blackening effects of coal, while condemning Shinde's statement. "One can ignore if hands are blackened, but how can one ignore if the face itself is blackened."

CPI national secretary D Raja asked Shinde to keep away from frivolous remarks. "Mr Shinde should remember that he is the home minister. He should not take people for granted."