The Hindu : National : Bid to scuttle lottery, ice-cream cases, says VS

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National

Bid to scuttle lottery, ice-cream cases, says VS

Special Correspondent

Sees move to sabotage Plachimada tribunal Bill
Accuses government of helping managements

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has accused the United Democratic Front government of trying to sabotage the investigation in the lottery and ice-cream parlour cases and the Bill to set up the Plachimada tribunal. He has also alleged that the government is trying to commercialise the higher education sector.

Mr. Achuthanandan told presspersons here on Sunday that by deciding to hand over 32 cases related to the lottery scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the government was trying to limit the scope of the inquiry and save Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his wife, Nalini Chidambaram, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi (all three as legal counsels), and the lottery mafia.

Mr. Achuthanandan demanded that the Prime Minister find out if proceeds from the sale of other-State lotteries were being used for subversive activities. He wanted the Congress and Mr. Chidambaram to clarify the reasons for the delay in probe. Mr. Singhvi and Ms. Chidambaram, who appeared for Santiago Martin, lottery operator, in the court, and the Congress leaders had to hide something on this score.

He said the government was trying to upset the investigation in the ice-cream parlour case. P.C. Iype, who was questioned for allegedly trying to sabotage the case, had been appointed Additional Advocate-General. The officers inquiring cases involving Social Welfare Minister M.K. Muneer and Health Minister Adoor Prakash too had been shifted.

He said attempts were on to scotch the Plachimada tribunal Bill. The government, after helping private medical college managements to admit students to all postgraduate seats, was now trying to help them fill up all MBBS and BDS seats on their own. The discussions with the Inter-Church Council turned out to be a farce.

The Cabinet subcommittee accepted all its demands. Other than the 65 postgraduate seats, it agreed to give 800 MBBS seats too. Moves were afoot to upset the fee structure for merit seats in private engineering colleges. The government had also taken steps to grant no-objection certificates to 540 CBSE and ICSE schools. This would affect the education sector.

He said the Opposition would resist such moves within the Assembly and outside.

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