Corruption

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.

The way the Bofors case has been handled to allow the guilty to go unpunished is a continuing reminder that there is no check against corruption in high places. If the people have to have any confidence that the recent large-scale corruption cases will be investigated and acted upon, the Bofors case will have to be pursued without let-up.

The 2G spectrum scam is a prime example of the big business-politician-bureaucrat nexus which has now become the hallmark of the neo-liberal regime. As early as February 2008, the CPI(M) had brought to the attention of the country the blatantly illegal manner in which allocation of 2G spectrum and licences were made causing a huge loss to the exchequer. The role of the Union Minister A. Raja was also clear.

It is shocking that such large-scale misuse of public funds has taken place in the name of the Commonwealth Games. The government must act expeditiously and those found guilty must be brought to book.

Utilizing the need for removal of Desai, the Government has brought an ordinance to dissolve the entire council shortly after the Parliament session. This shows the absence of minimum democratic norms. The Government should have taken Parliament into confidence before dissolving an autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament.

Instead of using agencies such as the CBI to investigate economic crimes and cases of corruption, the ruling party is unscrupulously utilizing the CBI for its narrow political purposes. The brazen manner in which the CBI investigations have been used to muster support for the cut motion is bringing the agency into disrepute. The ruling party cannot be allowed to bring the CBI into disrepute.