Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
Vajpayee Government Must Quit
The shocking revelations made by the website tehelka.com about the vast network of bribe taking within the government, the defence establishment, leaders of the political parties in the ruling coalition, will come as a shock to the entire country.
It confirms the worst apprehensions about how deep and widespread is the rot of corruption. The Bofors scandal, which for the first time threw open the lid of corruption in high circles, seems a minor episode compared to the vast system of institutionalised corruption that the recent investigation has revealed.
The president of the BJP and the president of the Samata Party, the two major partners in the NDA openly seen taking bribes shows the depths to which the present coalition has fallen. The role of the RSS trustee and the Samata Party to which the Defence Minister George Fernandes belongs, highlights the dangers of continuing with the present set-up. Of greater concern is also the subversive influence of tainted money in the defence establishment, which directly affects national security and our sovereignty.
There can be no compromise with criminal and illegal activities. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the Vajpayee government submit its resignation forthwith. To protect the country and the Constitution it is essential that all those involved in bribe taking whether they belong to the defence establishment, the government or political organisations be proceeded against and brought to trial.
The country will not tolerate any attempt at cover up of this most shocking scandal.