KOLKATA: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today accused the BJP-led central government of not taking enough action against industrialists for non-payment of loans and said it should come clean on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.
Addressing a programme here, he claimed that in the last four years, the government had not taken any stringent action to recover the loans big business houses had taken.
''The BJP used to complain about the middleman culture in defence deals during the Congress regime. But now, the government itself has turned into a middleman and is helping businessmen clinch defence deals," the Left leader alleged.
The Rafale deal, involving billions of dollars, could not be kept confidential, he said, adding, ''Why is the government hiding this information from the country and Parliament?'' In the interests of transparency and probity, the government must reveal all the details of the deal to Parliament and the people, Yechury said.
Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "silence" on the Punjab National Bank scam, the CPI(M) leader alleged that the BJP-led NDA government wrote off loans worth Rs 3 lakh crore taken by big corporates from banks but did not waive the farmers' dues.
Yechury demanded that the prime minister make public the list of persons whose loans were written off.
No question of Rafale deal going the Bofors way: Nirmala Sitharaman
Rahul Gandhi keeps Punjab National Bank scam, Rafale deal pressure on PM Narendra Modi
Rafale fighter deal will prove the "last nail in the coffin" of BJP government: Aam Admi Party
Reveal Rafale truth to clear doubts: Congress leader A.K. Antony to Centre
There was no Rafale deal under UPA: Defence ministry sources