PM and ministers are "shameless": Karat

Agartala, Aug 31: CPI(M) general secretary

alleged Prime Minister

and his deputies have become "shameless" and so they are saying that there was no wrong in

block allocation.

"The PM is saying we have not done anything wrong and other ministers are saying there was zero loss in coal block allocation. They have become shameless to say all these," Karat said here while commemorating the birth centenary of P Sundaraiya, the first Secretary of CPI(M), here. UPA government, after coming to power in 2004 had "brazenly given opportunities to capitalists and multi-national companies to loot the natural resources of the country and the coal block allotment was one of the bad examples," he said.

"BJP is demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister on the coal block allocation issue. The PM said UPA government was following the line of liberal economic policy formulated by the erstwhile NDA government. We neither support BJP nor UPA in this issue," Karat said.

Manmohan Singh was in Iran to participate in the conference of nonaligned countries but India has "deviated" from the path of nonaligned movement, he said. "Now, India'’s foreign policy is dictated by imperialist America which imposed an economic sanction against Iran and compelled India to cut 40 per cent of oil import from that country," the CPI(M) general secretary charged.

"Iran is nearer and so the transport cost of oil from the country is cheaper and the quality of oil is better and the price is cheaper. So, it is harmful to reduce import of oil from the country but the UPA government had to do so to remain with America," he alleged.

PTI