Biman calls for exposing conspiracy; Cong demands CBI probe

Kolkata, Oct 17 (UNI) The Congress today urged Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to send a team to probe the ongoing rationing crisis even as Left Front Chairman Biman Bose charged the Opposition with hatching a conspiracy regarding the Public Distribution System(PDS).

Talking to newspersons, PCC working president Pradip Bhattacharjee said, ''We sent two letters to both Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Shivraj Patil on October nine, stating that the rationing system has totally collapsed and seeking the Centre's intervention to precipitate the crisis.'' '' I have talked to Mr Pawar this morning and appealed to him for sending a team to look into the PDS crisis, '' he said.

Mr Bhattacharjee wondered why the Chief Minister did not order the arrest of the corrupt ration dealers when the latter had himself admitted it. ''We want a CBI probe to unravel the rationing graft,'' he stated.

The CPI(M) State Secretary alleged that the Opposition had spread a web of conspiracy to create disturbances in the state.

''We have urged all the Front partners to organise meetings in each district to expose the Opposition conspiracy as well as provide assistance to the administration in normalising the situation,'' Mr Bose said after a Left Front meeting here.

UNI