New Delhi:
BJP president Nitin Gadkari will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this morning to invite him for his youngest son's wedding later this month.
This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the BJP asked for an investigation into the alleged role of the Prime Minister's Office in what is being called "Coalgate".
Mr Gadkari has already met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to invite her for the wedding and has reportedly requested her to attend the wedding reception to be held in Delhi on July 2. His visit to Mrs Gandhi's residence earlier this week had sparked speculation that the two leaders discussed the presidential elections due next month. Mr Gadkari had emphatically denied that.
Political commentators say Mr Gadkari's effort to hand out personal invitations to top Congress leaders is a rare one and if, say, Mrs Gandhi does attend the function, it could help make for a better political climate in the country.
Politically, the BJP has sought to corner the Prime Minister, asking for an investigation into how 156 companies were allotted 65 coal blocks, and whether these companies were ineligible and violated the terms of their contracts.
The alleged swindle has also provoked a new and sharp confrontation between the Prime Minister and the group of activists referred to as Team Anna, alleges that the Prime Minister misused his position during 2006-2009 to allot coal fields at highly under-valued rates to private players. The PM was in charge of the Coal Ministry during this time. Team Anna says he ignored advice from bureaucrats to auction the coal fields. A preliminary report by the government's auditor believes that the decision to avoid an auction cost the government 1.8 lakh crores.
Dr Manmohan Singh has said he will resign if "even an iota of truth" is found in the allegations against him.