Indian Government Calls for End to Deadlock Over Coal Scandal

 India's government is hitting back at corruption¹ allegations and urging opposition² lawmakers to end protests that have shut down parliament for a fourth day.

Opposition members have been calling for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation since the release of a national auditor³'s report claiming the government sold coal fields to private companies without transparency and competitive bidding between 2004 and 2009.  The national auditor also alleged⁴ companies saw a potential profit gain of up to $34 billion, money that could have gone to the government.

On Friday, India's finance minister, P. Chidambaram, rejected the auditor's report as "totally flawed" and questioned the presumptive loss, saying only one of 57 coal blocks had actually been mined. Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi, "if coal is not mined, if coal remains⁵ buried in mother earth, where is the loss?"

Chidambaram also said the ruling Congress Party members, including Prime Minister Singh, are willing to go before parliament and debate the findings of the auditor's report.  The finance minister accused the Bharatiya Janata party and other opposition parties of not allowing parliament to function.

The auditor's report on coal mining is the latest scandal to hit India, where Prime Minister Singh has been widely accused of not being serious about controlling graft⁶. 

In 2010, auditors⁷ said the government lost up to $40 billion because mobile phone licenses⁸ were sold at cut-rate prices to the benefit of a few companies.  A former telecom minister and more than a dozen other defendants⁹ are accused in the corruption scandal. 

There were also allegations of widespread graft during the 2010 Commonwealth¹⁰ Games, which were hosted by India.

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

7 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

8 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

9 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

10 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。