CPI (M) slams PM over coaltion politics remarks

NEW DELHI - Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday criticized the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, over his comments that the coaltion politics was being a hindrance to governance.

The CPI (M) veteran said if coalition politics was tying the hands of the Prime Minister, he should refrain from running a government.

During his interaction with top television editors of the country earlier today, Dr. Singh said though he was aware of his responsibilities, there were certain limitations of coalition politics.

Commenting on the 2G spectrum scam, Dr. Singh said : “Since the Ministries of Finance and Telecom had agreed to continue with the existing policy of allocating 2G spectrum. I did not feel that I was in a position to insist that auction must be insisted.”

On retaining Raja as the Telecom Minister in the UPA-II, Dr Singh said in a coalition government, the choices of the Leaders of the Alliance partners have to accepted and that the DMK had suggested Raja and Dayanidhi Maran into the Union Cabinet.

“At that moment, there was no reason to feel that anything wrong had been done,” he said.

Yechury further slammed the Prime Minister for throwing up his hands on corruption and price rise.

“The government has been subsidising corporates. This is naked loot of the country,” he said.

Accepting that food inflation has been a problem, Dr. Singh earlier today said the government did not want to sacrifice the growth process, as ‘it would not do the country any good’.

“Food inflation has been at a record high in recent months touching the 17 per cent mark because of high vegetable prices,” he said.

The Prime Minister further said that the government had no control over some international events that were adding to the high inflation. (ANI)