CPI (M) ON MASSIVE CORRUPTION

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from November 19-21, 2010. It has issued the following statement:

The country has been rocked by the startling exposures of high level corruption in the recent period – the 2G spectrum scam, the Commonwealth Games scandal, the Adarsh housing fraud and the rampant corruption of the Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka.

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.

Yet, the Congress-led government refused to act. The Prime Minister preferred to overlook such massive corruption, so that his government could manage to survive. After the Lok Sabha election, in the second tenure of the UPA government, the same approach continued.

Now that the CAG has confirmed all the charges leveled at the time when the allocations were made, the Minister has been forced to resign, but the government refuses to acknowledge responsibility for the gigantic fraud. That is why the government refuses to constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the whole affair.

The key issue is to bring to book all those who are involved in wrongdoing. The former minister, the guilty officials and the corporates who have suborned them. The first step in fact should be to cancel the licences of all those companies who have acquired it by illegal means. Further, as the TRAI has pointed out, the licences of those companies who did not fulfill the rollout obligations should also be annulled. Fresh auction should be held to raise the revenue to recoup the losses.

The Prime Minister and his government will be judged on how they accomplish this.

The government’s approach to tackling the Commonwealth Games scandal is also deplorable. It has appointed a Committee which has no powers. What is required are investigations by a joint team of the CBI, the ED and other agencies and prosecution of all those guilty in the scams. The investigation should involve not just the Organising Committee, but should bring within its purview all contracts and dealings by the Delhi government and the Central government agencies.

Source: www.cpim.org