CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri on Sunday demanded that the Vajpayee government immediately register cases and arrest former BJP President Bangaru Laxman and former Samata Party Chief Jaya Jaitly, based on the evidence available with tehelka.com on the involvement of the two politicians in the defence scandal.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Yechuri, who is a member of the CPI(M) politburo, accused the government of shielding the ''corrupt'' and demanded that it step down as its continuation was not in national interest.

He pointed out that former Prime Minister P V Naramsihma Rao, former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha were all arrested in different cases on the basis of the available evidence.
Besides, when defence officials have been suspended in connection with the scam, the government cannot treat politicians on a different footing and allow them to go ''scot free.'' ''how could there be two sets of logic for officials and the politicians'''. ''What more prima facie evidence do you want to register cases and arrest,'' he asked referring to the tehelka video tapes.

The government instead of launching an ''operation clean up'' had already started ''operation cover up'' by posting key people in the PMO and in the defence ministry outside the country. There were reports that Mr N K Singh in the PMO was being sent as envoy to canada, he claimed.

He said an impartial inquiry ''into the spread and depth'' of the scam as demanded by the opposition would not be possible as long as the Vajpayee government remained at the helm, irrespective of the integrity of the judge appointed to probe it. He alleged that evidence was being suppressed. Bureau Report