‘Dalits Raja, Koda used for looting public money’

New Delhi, Jan., 16 : Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy said on Sunday that those ruling the power corridors used Dalit and tribal leaders like former Telecom Minister A Raja and former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda for loot of public money.

Swamy was releasing the book, Madhu Koda Loot Raj, by BJP leader Saryu Roy on Sunday. “Raja is a Dalit from Tamil Nadu while Koda is a tribal. Both were used by powerful. We need to catch them,” Swamy said.

“Today Raja is behind bars for his role in a massive scam in allotment of the 2G Spectrum band. Tomorrow it will be the turn of Rani ruling from Delhi,” Swamy quipped, perhaps referring to the Congress president.

Terming HM Chidambaram as second to Sonia Gandhi in terms of hoarding black money in foreign accounts, Swamy claimed having in possession documents that prove his connivance in the 2G case.

“I am waiting for January 21 when the Supreme Court will entertain my plea… it will be all over for Chidambaram,” he said.

Swamy said that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election will be a turning point in national politics. “The election result will deliver a deadly blow to the UPA Government which is sure to fall by September-October. People will teach corrupt politicians a lesson,” he said.

Swamy praised Roy for his crusade against corruption. “Roy has written a well-researched book. I will ask him to add a few more chapters. It will be good for a PhD degree,” Swamy said.

Terming the book a case study of how corruption is ruining the country, Swamy said that he formed a 15-member team comprising retired bureaucrats, former Intelligence officials and economists to expose corruption and fight for black money. “Roy has been included in this team. We need to fight corruption. Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the most learned person but not an efficient Prime Minister. We need a PM and Ministers having spines of steel and a President who is not a rubber stamp,” he said.

Stating the reasons behind writing a detailed account of scams during the Madhu Koda regime which he tracked rigorously, Roy said that the book is a telling commentary on how the system is abused. “I don’t think Koda would have got more than one per cent of the total money from the scam. A simple man hailing from Chaibasa became the kingpin of the scam. But there are people who used him for siphoning off the state coffers,” he said.

The book release ceremony was attended by many senior CBI officials, former Jharkhand Police chief RR Prasad among them.