New Delhi, Feb. 16: The Left today accused Manmohan Singh of trying to justify the spectrum scam by equating it with food and fertiliser subsidies and charged the government with subsidising valuable national assets for the corporate sector.

Left leaders felt that the Prime Minister had extended them considerable ammunition to target the Congress during the budget session and also in the poll arena of Bengal and Kerala.

The CPM is trying to make price rise and corruption big issues in the Left-ruled states of Bengal and Kerala to attack the Congress.

“The Prime Minister virtually justified the 2G spectrum scam by comparing it with food and fertiliser subsidies. Subsidising the poor is one thing but subsidising the rich and justifying it is unacceptable. It is naked loot of the country,” CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.

Yechury said that on two vital issues of price rise and corruption, the Prime Minister virtually raised his hands and said nothing could be done. “It is very unfortunate,” Yechury said.

If the Left went all out to attack the Prime Minister, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee preferred silence with the excuse that she was preoccupied with the rail budget. “The Prime Minister meant the DMK when he referred to coalition. Trinamul has no role in corruption. So why should Mamata react?” remarked an aide of the railway minister.

DMK cool

The DMK brushed off suggestions that the Prime Minister had blamed the party for “coalition compulsions” in the context of the 2G scandal.

“We do not think the Prime Minister is putting the blame on us. We don’t think the coalition is holding back the PM. The aim of the coalition is good governance,” party spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan said.

Elangovan insisted the entire blame was not being pinned on A. Raja either and said the former telecom minister and DMK leader, arrested over the scandal, had followed Trai recommendations and the practices of his predecessors.