Seat-sharing drama to cover up 2G probe: CPI-M

Slamming Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Congress as 'partners in corruption,' Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday alleged that the real agenda behind the 'seat sharing drama' between the two parties was to cover up the probe into 2G spectrum allocation scam and prevent it from extending to the family of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

"Is it because three seats that Congress and DMK were at loggerhead? No one believes this. There is some other agenda. DMK wants to cover up spectrum scandal..cover up the probe.. They don't want investigation to extend to the chief minister's family," he said in Madurai launching the party's campaign for the April 13 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Congress and DMK were 'brothers of corruption' who 'made money' in spectrum scandal and the Commonwealth Games respectively, he alleged.

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"If DMK minister committed corruption to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh crore (in spectrum allocation), Congress is not far behind. They have made money from the CWG... they have looted even games," he charged.

He said in the last five years, Tamil Nadu had seen monopoly of the chief minister's family in all aspects.

"Every sector and sphere in Tamil Nadu had become corrupt and nothing had been spared," he alleged.

Referring to the increase in prices of petroleum products on seven occasions since July last year, he said had the DMK threatened to pull out of the United Progressive Alliance on the oil price issue it would have benefited the people.

"But it was threatening only to defend itself on spectrum scandal and assembly seats," he said.

Apprehending that DMK could distribute money to voters, Karat urged the Election Commission to treat such action as a criminal action and direct police to file criminal case against those found giving away cash to voters.

He alleged that during the last Lok Sabha election, ruling DMK men distributed Rs 500 along with the voter's slips. Now they could distribute Rs 1,000 per vote. We have told the EC to stop this," he said.

Attacking the UPA government over the price issue, he said inflation was going out of control due to its wrong policies while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was giving excuses including that price rise was international phenomena.

First the prime minister said inflation would come down in December. Then he said it would fall in March. Now what he would say, Karat asked.

The government, instead of reducing the tax on import of crude and customs excise duty on petrol, was increasing the petrol and diesel prices, he said.

He said the Left parties had joined hands with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other parties to bring a new government in Tamil Nadu that would take care of all sections of people.