New Delhi:
The Congress core group met today ahead of the budget session of Parliament and, sources said, favoured that the party should take a call on Law Minister Ashwani Kumar only after the CBI presents its affidavit in the Supreme Court in the coal blocks scam.
The top court had asked the CBI chief to give in writing that its status report filed last month on the coal scam probe was not shared with "the political executive".
The law minister faces allegations that he and officials in the Prime Minister's Office vetted and altered the CBI's status report.
The BJP has demanded that Mr Kumar must step down.
The core group meeting was attended by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister AK Antony and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, among others.
Sources said the core group discussed the party's strategy for the Budget session, which resumes on Monday. Members said passing the finance bill is a priority and disruptions by the opposition should not be allowed to stall it.
Parliament is expected to see fierce protests by the opposition over the allegations against the law minister and a leaked draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee looking into the 2G spectrum scam.
The BJP says the leak of the draft JPC report is a "breach of Parliamentary propriety" and its wording smacks of an attempt to save Congress leaders in the 2G scam.