The CPI(M) today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to institute an inquiry into the “questionable methods” of wheat import “which led to a loss of Rs 540.09 crore”.

Politburo member Brinda Karat has written a letter to Singh seeking an inquiry into the “faulty policies” of import. She points out that the Government had cancelled an earlier order at $263 per tonne on the ground that the price was too high. “However, just two months later, the government imported the same amount of wheat at $325.59, leading to a loss of Rs 127.93 crore. This was compounded by a further import order for almost 8 lakh tonnes, which meant a further loss of Rs 412 crore,” she writes. Questioning the “reasons for cancelling the initial order”, she has requested Singh to set up an inquiry.