Struggle will continue until corruption, black money are eliminated: Advani
Black money, corruption and inflation were the mainstay of BJP leader L.K. Advani's speech on the Ramlila Maidan here, where he announced on Sunday the culmination of his Jan Chetna Yatra and the beginning of a struggle against these social ills.
In proof of his party and allies' commitment to weed out corruption, Mr. Advani declared, all MPs of the NDA would, in the first week of the coming Parliament session, “solemnly declare that they do not own directly or indirectly bank accounts or assets outside India.” They would turn in their declarations to the Lok Sabha Speaker or the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, as the case may be, he said, at the conclusion of his 40-day yatra against corruption.
Cash-for-vote scam
The BJP leader said this yatra, in which he covered 7,600 km, was inspired entirely by the “shocking” indictment of those who blew the lid off the cash-for-vote scam.
Training his guns on the Manmohan Singh government, he said that for the past two years the BJP had been asking the Centre to come clean on the black money issue.
“I feel if there is corruption in the country, it is not because there is no Lokpal, but because there is no political will. This corruption is not because of the absence of laws, but because of the lack of political will.”
On the “runaway inflation” too, there was no satisfactory reply, Mr. Advani said. Not only did the government have financial and other experts in key positions, including the Planning Commission, but the Prime Minister himself was an economist, and despite their collective expertise and their announcements to curb inflation, the UPA failed to do so.
The octogenarian leader attributed the “success” of his sixth yatra to the outpouring of public anger against persisting corruption. “The support from people I had this time, I had never seen before. In Tamil Nadu, where the BJP does not have any MP, people came out in support. In Madurai, people braved rain and came out; in Kerala too, rain was no deterrent and we could gauge the people's anger.”
“Clean image no more”
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister's “clean image,” Mr. Advani said it was no longer enough, and the goodwill that the party [Congress] earned no longer exists. “ … till date I have never seen so many Ministers being removed and jailed for corruption, yet they [UPA] are unaffected. Also, these removals have been based on judicial decisions; they have not been removed by the Prime Minister.”
Mr. Advani asked why the UPA government failed to come out with the names of those who had accounts in foreign banks and stashed away illegal wealth. “We have demanded a White Paper on black money; we want to know who the three MPs are whose names are in the list that France has provided. I regret that despite repeated questioning there has been no proper answer.”
Announcing that his struggle against corruption and black money would continue until the BJP was satisfied that it had weeded out the evils, Mr. Advani compared the existing political situation in the country to “fog” which, he said, would not go away on its own but needed to be cleared away.
Keywords: Jan Chetna Yatra, L.K. Advani, black money, cash-for-vote
It is a now a later thought of getting a declaration from MPS about not having any assets outside India.what about in India,in the name of MPs,his relative or in any Benami Name,CBI has to find out about foreign.and local assets rather thoroughly.since Many MPs, Union and state Ministers are having crores of slush funds and not declared as well.It is unfortunate, that almost most of the members and party:s chiefs are holding sizeable funds and not reported so far. For this how many Gandhians has to rise now:?
Corruption led politicians to stash money abroad. But it has not come recently. Independence gave our politicians to aspire for corruption. Gradually this evil came downwards. As the public turned literate, they saw corruption dashing against them. So the observations we find in the comments will change in due course when we get ourselves more educated. Actions will thus be limited to observations only.
NDA's decision to declare "no assets abroad" is highly laudable. As a tax payer I cannot conceal my appreciation. What about the Congress Party? Can they do the same? Can Sonia Gandhi, for example, declare that she (or her son) have no assets abroad? Better laws and reforms are needed, they are necessary in the continual improvement process (just like the private sector follows ISO). For ISO we need Management Commitment, the political equivalent of that is Political Will. That, that is lacking is a right assessment, no two opinions on that - UPA's actions (and inaction) on Black Money is proof enough.
No political party can claim that all their members are clean and not involved in corruption. But the fact of the matter is that the corruption in the UPA has crossed all limits. They have brought the country to shame in the eyes of the world. The Indians abroad are looked down upon as corrupt. But in spite of so many scams, the UPA government keeps justifying by pointing a finger at other parties. If NDA MPs solemnly declare that they do not own directly or indirectly any assets or bank accounts in foreign countries, then it points a finger towards UPA MPs. But it has been proved beyond any doubt that thousands of Indians which may include politicians and businessmen have bank accounts abroad. The dilly-dally attitude of the UPA government not only raises suspicion that some of its members have stashed money abroad but also would enable such account holders to close their accounts and stash the money somewhere else.
Political parties when they are in the opposition talk well. But when they sit on the seat of power they get blinded by various things.
The Jan Chetna Yatra of L.K.Advani kicked off with a big bang ended up with ripples. His unsparing attck on the ruling party found in a pool of corruption distancing his own party from the dirt hits the news now. Are the people so naive to pocket his avowal? BJP leader's volition of tabling the assets both inside and outside India for public domain a perceived bomb shell is aimed to turn the political tides favourably. That Karnataka is the Achilles heel of BJP dampens its prospects.The main slogan of BJP in retrieving foreign assets possessed by the political leaders is targetted against Sonia for the alleged Swiss bank deposit through Bofors deal. When corruption turns the main election plank, both Congress and BJP will draw flak. An alternative may have an edge,provided there is consensus on vital issues of poverty and destitution affecting the people most.
Even if BJP MPs declare they have no assets abroad it doesn't
necessarily mean that they are clean and non-Corrupt. I don't understand
what Mr.Advani is trying is achieve here...????
Duing the heights of Anna's fast for a Lokpal bill we heard screaming and shoutings from many quarters that Parliament is supreme and sovereign. If that is true, can any one now say that those three MPs (who are reported to have foreign accounts) were re-assuring and re-asserting that supremacy and sovereignty by thair act of having opened and maintained a bank account in foreign country without informing the authorities? If the answereis NO, don't these MPs have questioned the supremacy of parliament and sovereignty of the nation? If yes, why they be allowed to participate in the Parliamentary proceedings and vote? As nationalist, one expects our Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Oposition and UPA-II Chairperson to take urgent steps to declare their names and expell them from our Parliament, at least. Also, one feels that the NDAs drama fo sending letters is nothing but a trick at playing to the gallary.
Its high time that India raise their voice against corruption and that can be done solely by sending a message to UPA govt by removing them from power. Nothing credible has been achieved by this Mother-Son regime. They are just power-hungry politicians and have nill idea of our countrment sufferings.
I am sure even Reddy will declare that they have no assets abroad.
As if declaring is equal to facts.
This is just political gimmick. MMS also asked his cabinet to declare their assets.
It is good that the ‘ Jan Chetana Yatra has come to end. What exactly the Yatra has achieved for BJP will be known in the next few years. But let not forget that it is time for introspection for all political parties. Irony of all this Yatra drama is that the clean image of both Mr. Manmohan Singh and that of Mr. Advani are as good as nothing as far as dealing with two issues, namely corruption or black money, is concerned. We need reforms in our electoral system, judiciary, administration, police and so many other fields. Without these reforms and their honest and purposeful implementation, nothing much will be achieved.
NDA is making a good move. Now it is the turn of all other political parties including UPA and its allies to file similar declarations. This will make them clean and make the corruption slate of India clean. Once the political atmosphere becomes clean and corrupt free, India can rise to become world leader.Let us Hope for the better.
Advani sounds like a voice from the past, a broken record that appeals to our worst fears
rather than to our greatest hopes.His politics is divisive, his mind devoid of ideas, he
criticizes the solutions of others but provides no solution himself. India would do well to
relegate him and his ideas to the annals of history
Tall claim.People on top be it politics,administration and business
in general will not pass the critical litmus test of purity.
There always exist some form of deception ,intelligently termed as
diplomacy.
The so called common man or the lowest at the bottom is the only one free from all vices.
Mr.Advani is least qualified and least competent to talk of corruption when the Party's first government in the south was and is rife and ridden with corruption right from the ex-CM to ministers who cocked a snook at all the laws of the land and indulged in wholesale loot of the country.And his yatra- except for his statement that it achieved everything that he set out to do- was more in the nature of a
piggy back ride on Anna's Crusade.And all that talk of the NDAs MPs and MLAs "solemnly" declaring that they have no assets outside India is nothing short of a gimmick which needs to be taken with not just a pinch of salt but a whole truckload of it.If the BJP is all that interested in fighting corruption in public life,it should put its whole strength behind Anna and go the whole hog.Talk is cheap.Let us see some action.
Good move. Advantage BJP. But a lot of credit for raising the foreign assets issue goes to Mr. Assange and The Hindu.
Please Email the Editor