Centre should order inquiry into assets of CMs: Bardhan

Suggests various agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Central Bureau of Investigation and even the judiciary to conduct probe.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan. File photo: PTI

Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary A B Bardhan on Friday asked Centre to order an inquiry into the “claimed as well as hidden” assets of Chief Ministers and ministers in the wake of Madhu Koda episode.

Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, Mr. Bardhan said, “Madhu Koda is not alone. Corruption is eating into the social and political fibre of our country. The Centre should investigate thoroughly into the assets of various Chief Ministers and Ministers.”

He suggested that there were various agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Central Bureau of Investigation and even the judiciary that could conduct the probe.

“A dark shadow looms over our electoral system in the form of money power. Earlier, it used to be muscle power and later the criminalisation of politics. Now, the role of money power is becoming an accepted fact,” Bardhan said, adding that there were as many as 330 members of Parliament who were “crorepatis.”

Referring to the political crisis in Karnataka, the CPI general secretary said the ‘Bellary mining mafia’, led by Karnataka Tourism Minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, was threatening to destabilise the state government there.

“Congress politicians in Andhra Pradesh are in league with the Bellary mining mafia. In fact, both the Congress and the BJP tried to use this mafia,” he alleged.

Mr. Bardhan said he would write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on planned offensive against the CPI (Maoists).

“Let not the common man be caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and the state. There should be no general resort to state violence,” he said, recalling that the Prime Minister himself acknowledged that the Maoists’ menace also has socio-economic dimensions.

“Ideologically, we differ with the Maoists. We don’t agree with their tactics. Their method of targeted killing is not right,” the CPI general secretary noted.

Referring to the Air Force operations over Bastar, Mr. Bardhan questioned, “Was the Air Force flying over Bastar for pleasure or for any training?”.