The UPA government in India is not learning any lessons from this financial and economic crisis and continues to adhere to neo-liberal policies which are worsening the conditions of the people with relentless prices rise, lack of employment opportunities and rampant corruption.
With this indictment, Yeddyurappa has no other option but to resign from office. After the report is submitted, all those named for wrongdoing should be prosecuted under the law. The BJP leadership cannot prevaricate in this matter any more. It must own up full responsibility for instituting a government in Karnataka which is riddled with the mining mafia and those patronizing them.
The battle against corruption, in order to be effective today, can be achieved only through a comprehensive reform of our political, legal, administrative and judicial systems and not through one-off or piece-meal measures. The establishment of an effective Lokpal institution is one such measure. This needs to be complemented by other measures.
The Left parties decided to conduct a countrywide movement against corruption and to demand immediate measures to curb corruption in all spheres of public life.
Apart from the instances of corruption indulged in by the organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games, there is the large scale misuse of funds for the games by other agencies and authorities in the Delhi Government and the Central Government. Some of these have been enquired into by the Shunglu Committee.
The CPI(M) has been advocating the setting up of a strong Lokpal authority to look into complaints of corruption against public servants and government officials. Efforts to bring about such a legislation have not made headway in the past. The draft proposed by the Government of India is inadequate and will not serve the purpose.
The Central Committee called upon the people of West Bengal and Kerala to ensure the victory of the Left Front and the Left Democratic Front. The Congress and its TMC and UDF allies should be defeated as they are responsible for the acute price rise, massive corruption and attacks on the livelihood of the people. The Left Front of West Bengal and the LDF government of Kerala have stood out for the implementation of pro-people policies and safeguarding the interests of the working people.
With this judgement of the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister and the government stand exposed to the charge that they are not concerned with ensuring the integrity of the CVC or fighting corruption in high places.
The latest decision by the Prime Minister to constitute a two-member committee to "review" the agreement is highly questionable. What is the necessity for a "review" when already the contract has been found to be unjustified and needs to be annulled? The persons appointed - a former Cabinet Secretary and a member of the Space Commission - were both involved in the processing of the deal. The intention seems to be to keep this as an in-house matter.
The Polit Bureau strongly criticised the UPA government for its refusal to accept a JPC enquiry into the 2G Spectrum affair. Though the minister, A Raja, was forced to resign after the CAG report on the scam, the UPA government continues to adopt a position which will hamper the investigation and bringing of the guilty to book.
