Indian prime minister shouted down in Parliament in coal scandal

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh rejected a report by the official auditor that accused his government of missing out on billions of dollars of revenue by gifting away coal rights.

Singh, who has been damaged by corruption scandals and policy paralysis during his second term in office, was shouted down in both houses of Parliament as opposition lawmakers demanded he resign over the auditor's report.

"Any allegations of impropriety are without basis and unsupported by the facts," Singh said in his first reaction to the accusations made 11 days ago.

"The observations of the CAG [comptroller and auditor general] are clearly disputable," he said, adding that he took full responsibility for the coal policy developed while he was acting coal minister from 2004 to 2009.

Opposition parties have vowed to continue protests that have forced constant adjournments of business, with the government unable to pass any legislation.

Yesterday, Singh's attempt to address Parliament was met with a wall of noise drowning out his speech. He later spoke outside the building, issuing an appeal to opposition parties to end their protests and to debate the report.