With the Winter Session of Parliament ending on Monday, the government and Opposition are all set for confrontation over the issue of corruption outside Parliament. Congress president Sonia Gandhi attacked the Opposition, especially the BJP, saying it disrupted the session everyday. She said this has been the pattern from the day the BJP was voted out of office in 2004. While the NDA has decided to launch a full-scale attack on the government and the Congress at a rally in New Delhi on
December 22, the Left and non-NDA parties are planning to hold anti-corruption meetings separately in select cities across the country, a senior CPI(M) leader said.
The Left is blaming the Centre for pushing the third force to the NDA by refusing to constitute a JPC to probe into 2G scam. They said the stalemate on this issue could end if the government takes firm decisions. But the BJP is determined to expand the scope of this issue by bringing in the role of corporate sector in influencing the government in the Cabinet formation and over Nira Radia.
The Congress is gearing up to counter the Opposition’s onslaught on corruption. She asked the party workers to “expose the Opposition’s double standards and double speak, particularly the BJP.”
Speaking about the issue of corruption at the CPP general body meeting, Mrs Gandhi said: “There will be absolutely no tolerance for corruption or misconduct.”
“It is a painful fact that corruption seems to be widespread and I feel strongly that it is our responsibility as well as that of each and every political party to together devise a way, a mechanism to curb this menace,” she said.
“The Congress has always stood for transparency and probity. And we have made it clear that there will be absolutely no tolerance for corruption or misconduct. Even when no charge has been established or no misconduct has been proved, we have asked ministers and CMs to step down, pending enquiry,” she said.
Making a clear distinction between the Congress and other parties, she asked: “How many other parties can make such a claim? Can the BJP make the same claim in Karnataka where corruption is rampant?”