KOLKATA: The alleged scam in the sale of lottery tickets in Kerala was being used by the Congress and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) to score points against the ruling Marxists, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said Sunday.
"As far as the lottery issue is concerned, Congress and UDF are trying to score points against us. The lottery is operating in Kerala from outside, other states," said Karat while addressing media persons here.
"Our government has been making several requests to the central government to take action. But nothing much has happened so far. I don't understand how Bhutan government lottery can operate in Kerala. But I don't think that Congress and UDF can accuse our government of anything because they also faced the same problem during their tenure," said Karat.
Kerala Chief Minister V. S.Achuthanandan had sought a central probe into the lottery scam, where agents of Bhutan and Sikkim lotteries allegedly siphoned off Rs.80,000 crore in the last four years by violating tax laws and diverting unclaimed prize money.