Coalgate: CPM demands thorough probe

CPM said the response by PMO defending corruption allegations against PM Manmohan Singh was not "credible".

New Delhi: The CPI-M on Monday said the response by Prime Minister`s Office defending corruption allegations against Manmohan Singh was not "credible" and demanded a "full and thorough" probe into the coal bloc allocations.

Addressing a press conference here, party General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has reportedly found the process of allocation of coal blocks to various companies faulty.

"This has resulted in huge profits for the private parties and massive loss of revenue to the government. The Central Vigilance Commissioner has already referred the matter to the CBI for investigation.

"The response of the Prime Minister`s Office (in a letter to Anna Hazare) to the allegations on the allocations is not credible," Karat said.
He said the Central Committee, in a two-day meeting which ended here yesterday, demanded a "full and thorough" probe by the CBI into the matter and to fix the responsibility of those involved.

The remarks came in the wake of the letter by the PMO to Hazare, rejecting his team`s demand for setting up a Special Investigation Team to probe Singh and other ministers and setting up special fast track courts for trying MPs accused of corruption.

On the petrol price hike, he said the reduction of the price by Rs 2 per litre was "totally inadequate" since the price is still higher by over Rs 5.50 per litre. "The Central Committee demanded that a full roll back of the petrol price increase," he said.

Expressing concern over the decline in GDP growth, he said the slide is now taken as an excuse to push through more neo-liberal measures like clearing FDI in retail, legislations which seek to increase the FDI limit in banking and insurance sectors and the Pension Bill.
PTI

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