Left slams PM for ''loot'' of public money through 2G allocation

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Launching a scathing attack on thegovernment for "loot" of public money through the 2G spectrumallocation and other scams, Left parties today took PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh to task for equating the loss withsubsidising foodgrains to the poor.

"On two vital issues confronting the nation and thepeople, that is corruption and price rise, the Prime Ministerhas virtually thrown up his hand saying nothing much can bedone. This is very unfortunate," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechurytold reporters here.

"This is something that is completely unacceptable.

Subsidising the poor is one aspect but subsidising the richand saying that it is necessary, is just naked loot of thecountry," he said.

Noting that Singh had said he was ready to appear beforeany parliamentary panel even though the UPA was against aJoint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam,Yechury said, "If you are ready to appear before JPC or anycommittee then why did you allow the entire winter sessionto be washed out."

He said Singh "virtually tried to justify" the spectrumscam by "comparing" it with the subsidies being given onfoodgrains, fertiliser and kerosene oil.

Yechury was referring to remarks made by the PrimeMinister during his 70-minute interaction with editors ofelectronic media here.

The CPI(M) leader said, "In other words he (Singh) hasactually admitted to the fact that his government has beensubsidising the corporate sector by giving away nationalassets like the spectrum in throwaway prices."

"The fact remains that the government did not collect whatwas due (in 2G spectrum allocation), which was also a loss,"he said, adding that the presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakhcrore could have provided food security to every Indian fortwo full years.

In the same vein, CPI National Secretary D Raja said Singhhad sought to "explain" the 2G scam by asking if subsidies onfoodgrains could be called a loss.

"He should explain how corporate houses made such hugeprofits. It was virtually a loot. Prime Minister did notanswerthat question. That is totally strange and that too from aPrime Minister who is himself an economist," he said.

Maintaining that the Prime Minister did not say "a wordagainst corporate houses which looted money", Raja said hisanswer on ISRO''s S-band allocation was not convincing.

Besides, Singh did not properly explain the steps to checkprice rise.

On the Opposition-UPA standoff in Parliament, he saidSingh blamed the Opposition for disrupting the entire wintersession. "What was the Government''s role? He says Governmentwas making honest efforts. What has he done so far?" he posed.

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