Renzi says 'won't play if No wins'

(ANSA) - Rome, November 21 - Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday reiterated he won't play should a 'No' vote prevail on a December 4 referendum on his constitutional reform law. "Should things not work out, I won't stay in the game," he said in a live Facebook chat. "I say 'No' to backroom deals. If you want a political class that is hanging on to its seat (in parliament) and that never changes, go ahead... I'm not like that. I'll stay if things can change. I'm not here just to hang on to a career for dear life.
    I don't need to add anything to my CV". The young reformist premier also blasted what he said were the diversionary tactics of populist, euroskeptic 5-Star Movement (M5S) chief Beppe Grillo in order to distract the public from a mounting scandal concerning suspected M5S electoral fraud using faked and cloned signatures. Grillo earlier called the 'Yes' referendum campaign "the serial killer of our children". "Don't fall for it," said Renzi. "Grillo is a communications expert... (and the M5S) is in trouble because the fake signature probe has come to light".
    "The accusation is clearly false, like many of the profiles that insult us on social media, like the M5S false signatures, while the money the M5S gets from the Senate is very real," Renzi said in a live Facebook chat. His constitutional reform would reduce the Senate from 315 to 100 members. "Don't fall into Grillo's trap: he wants us to not talk about real issues because he wants to erase the M5S rents scandal (affittopoli). L'Espresso (investigative news magazine) has written that the M5S paid for Rocco Casalino's house with Senate reimbursements. There was no denial". Rocco Casalino, who first gained notoriety when he placed fourth in the 2000 edition of Big Brother, joined the M5S in 2010 and has been its Senate caucus press officer since 2013. "Casalino has gone from Big Brother's house to Big Senate's house," Renzi quipped.
    Renzi went on to say that M5S MP Alessandro Di Battista - a vocal critic of government - makes double his own monthly salary as prime minister. "I believe Di Battista takes home less than 16,000 euros a month because he gives some of it back, but I believe he's taken home an average of 10,000 euros a month - double what I make," Renzi said. "So when (the M5S) proposes halving salaries I say: great, but shall we also scrap Senate reimbursements? Many M5S voters would never vote for me in a general election, but will vote 'Yes' on this referendum to cut costs".