Members of erstwhile Team Anna on Friday accused political parties of being together in corruption and benefiting from the “loot” of natural resources.
Following the tabling in Parliament of CAG reports on coal block allocation, power, and the Delhi airport, they pressed their demand for setting up an independent special investigation team of Supreme Court judges to probe charges of corruption against top politicians.
“We have just one question. Prime Minister, please tell us, where should we go to register an FIR on the basis of these CAG reports? All the agencies are under your control. All are under you, and that is why we are demanding a strong Lokpal,” said activist Arvind Kejriwal.
“We say all parties are involved in this loot of natural resources and no one wants to pass the Lokpal Bill. The States have benefited the private companies. Even the CPI (M) in West Bengal was a silent spectator to this corruption. They also didn’t oppose the decision to allot coal blocks to private parties [when they were in power],” he said.
According to him, had Jan Lokpal been there, then on the basis of the CAG report, they would have complained, and in six months, the probe would have been completed. In one year, the case would have been completed, and the accused sent to jail in 18 months.
An FIR, he said, should be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the three CAG reports underlined the fact that there had been loss of lakhs of crores of valuable, scarce natural resources and public assets. It shows how public-private partnerships had become an euphemism for using public resources and assets for private profits.
The windfall allowed to GMR when the Airports Authority of India was made to part with prised land allocated to it for commercial development showed the unprecedented scale of “loot” in the country. The recent huge airport development fee, which burdened the aam admi, brought a profit of approximately Rs. 3400 crore to GMR, making the Delhi airport the most expensive in the country.
“This shows the unprecedented scale of loot and corruption that is going on in this country. The question is will it ever stop? How and who will?” he added.
Keywords: Arvind Kejriwal, CAG report, coal scam, coalgate, coal block allocation, Manmohan Singh, Lokpal Bill, anti-corruption movement
The main issues now are to establish who were guilty of giving undue favour and how to retrieve the national wealth given away for a pittance. Debating about whether Lokpal would have stopped it or brought quick punishment to the guilty can go on forever. If one looks at the sudden spurt in steel plant proposals with captive power, then one begins to understand the rush to secure coal reserves in the face of rising energy price. Both state and central governments fanned this frenzy. They gave unreasonable quantity of coal, based on number of years, recovery, mining efficiency and so on. Givernments also gave the captive tag to power units designed to sell half of its generation to grid. On top of this is poor supervision that allows coal mining beyond need the power plant need and even without reporting, for sale in the unofficial market. Like illegal and under-reported iron ore mining, these things can hardly happen without administrative failure, be it negligence or connivance.
the india against corruption do have its impact in the metro cities, but
the real challenge ahead is making the rural, illetrate people know
about it
@Mr vr vedula:
How many of the things that you ask the fledgling national anti-
corruption movement members – who have not announced any political
party - to provide and demonstrate have you sought (or they have
carried out in the past) from any of the political parties who have
been ruling the nation for the past 65 years?
Current parties’ modus operandi and the consequences of their actions
are not a matter of conjecture but are in the public domain having
been audited by independent Constitutional authorities and pronounced
upon by the Supreme Court – and they report astronomical levels of
national plunder, again and again.
Of course people are entitled to express their opinion in support of
the status quo even if it ruins the nation and its people - current
and future generation, but that does not make the status quo right!
This fact is well known that all the parties in politics are drenched in corruption, it is not new find for Mr Kejriwal, people have gone hoarse telling your Team & but it always fell on your deaf years.Is it because you are trying build a ground for your political outfit you change your stand from singling out Congress to all political parties.This inconsistency may cost you dearly my dear.
No wonder why congress is coming to power again and Again and again,
because people of India are addicted to corruption and Addicted to
support corruption. Now Team anna is trying to break the shackles and
Set us free and I am Sure People like me will Surely Support them only
if they are contesting election, because in democracy you can change
system from within the system.
Erstwhile members of Anna's team are too much focussed on their
mission to oust the Congress Party at the Centre whilst harbouring a
secret love for the other parties ! They have only one singlepoint
agenda. They have not come forth with a White Paper as to how they
shall govern the nation. It is easy to be a detractor but very
difficult to be constructive. Both Ramdev and Anna as also members of
their teams should publish a WHITE PAPER on how they wish to govern
the nation with timebound schedule and the benefits the 'common man'
shall gain. They are a bunch of wellfed, educated elite, who have only
a model Lokpal Bill where they believe that 'without fetters'
organisations can deliver on their own steam ! If that was so, there
is no need for a government with the belief of goodnaturedliness of
the human being to do good only, think morally and act legitimately.
An utopia ! How many people have the members of Anna helped in their
life before embarkation on the national stage ?
If the minister is right then government must take the CAG to court for defamation , CAG must be taught a lesson why they see Lossn ghotala everywhere, We heard Mr Shukla saying last 65 yrs CAG has been reporting like this only Nothing is concrete in their Reports and if CAG is 1 % right then The Entire UPA government must Confess to the Nation about the Ghotala-----------
We all know the present Government is corrupt. The Govt. stoutly defended the 2G allocation and denied any loss to the exchequer and some Ministers ridiculed the CAG report and finally the CAG proved correct. Now the same thing will happen with the coal scam. When the nation's more than half of the population is yet to get basic facilities like food, water, electricity and sanitation the government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is indulging in scam after scam.
God save our India.
True,when team Anna demanded same thing before CAG report was out, that
time Congress was telling people that Team Anna was Not in possetion of evident Then now What Congress SAY (Congress= Continuous Greed For Money
And power Party_)
What a pity. We should devide the country into smaller bits and then possibly would have some good governance in some of the states. Currently all the political class is part of the loot. No change can be expected from the 2014 elections, even if we boot out a corrupt Congress party.
Unless and until the elected representatives join hands with the Public, it will be difficult for the Country to get away from this menace called Corruption. The chances of this, are totally remote!
We can day to day see many Govt.offices run practically on Corruption alone. Strange, but true. Even for getting one paper move from one table to the other, one has to bribe right from lowest level, & it goes upto higher level.
God alone can save the Country:INDIA!
As usual nothing will happen. life will go on and on for aam aadmi
and politicians.
Kejriwal and Bhusan may contest Election and tell the people except us all others are corrupt
and Private Companies are allowed to loot the country in the development of world class
infrastructure and we don't need any private participation. We will put up with the existing
Toilets in the Railway rather allow some private company to modernize . We will sell coal at
international market price and those who afford to pay higher tariff let them electricity. A for
Anna , B for Baba and C for camera . On a motivated complaint to Lokayukta investigation
was ordered . Despite High Court quashing the Complaint and awarding Costs against
complainant , an honest Special Public Prosecutor has resigned . The powerful politician is
likely to be let off in a case of disproportionate assets case since the Judge is also due to
retire . Jan Lokpal is a double edged weapon . You Gentlemen have no guts to utter or
murmur a word about those who are corrupt but continue to sling mud on Honest P M .
Agarwall is correct. It is corruption, if we have Lokpal, we can
register it.But now PM will deny like 2G, and our Subramaniaswamy
should go to S.C.Utill then all recordes may either be destroyed or
corrected as if nothing happened.
It is the moral responsibilty of ManmohanSingh to resign as he made Raja resign in 2G scam. Or will he and UPA chief say morality is only for non-Congress partners of UPA??
Kejriwal is wrong in accusing CPI(M). He is trying to drag CPI(M)into this becuase he cannot find a single leader of CPI(M) or for that matter, leaders of any of the four left parties involved in any scam whatsoever. Incidentally, Kejriwal too would have known how coal block was allocated at that time. Why didn't he object then? So he has to accept he too is corrupt.
it is a box office cinema where neither the hero nor the villain will be hurt. Only the people.They are enjoying . They have no time to stand. How can the the system be changed.
Exactly! India needs a Lokpal, India wants a lokpal.
100% True, all of them are in this together....We need a fresh batch of
people in the parliament...
"the unprecedented scale of loot and corruption that is going on in
this country" and 'how to stop it', poses many questions:
How to
(i) take legal action to investigate matters, prosecute the culprits,
and recover the "loot"
(ii) 'nullify all advantage' gained from the above loots (more to
come?), particularly in future elections (so that culprits & their
associates do not get back into power and continue as before)
(iii) deter, prevent in the future
(iv) educate the citizens, who seem to be entrenched in fear (of
persecution / punishment, as well as backing 'the wrong horse' - in
case the anti-corruption movement fails)
(v) build an association of as many like-minded people on board as
possible - to build a better India for everyone; hopefully the great
Champions will be able to put the country before any 'personal agenda'
(vi) involve the Indian media and the intelligentsia in the cause to
save the country
(vii) address democratic deficits and bring in electoral reforms, etc.
We agree with you Arvind that all parties are involved in corruption.We have witnessed Himalayan corruption not only from the Congress but also the BJP and the allies of both UPA and NDA.This being the case,who do you think would be able to lead the nation to be corruption free?Do we have a gentleman par excellence today to perform this great feat? Even there had been so many charges raised against the members of the core committee of Team Anna including the alleged misappropriation case of the air ticket value by Kiran! She too accepted that she claimed the first class fare but traveled only economy and pocketed the difference, of course only for the benefit of the NGO owned by HER!
In a democratic nation like ours where every body is encouraged to swindle the maximum what he is capable of as endorsed by one of the holy ministers from U.P.how can we expect corruption - free governance? Might be possible with the rebirth of Indira Gandhi and her Emergency not for years but eternally!
what will lok pal do nothing all its findings will also be carpetted all
that is needed is for people to be vigilant against corruption and take
law into their hands and convict the accused in indegenious way so that
in future any one going corrupt will think twice
Please Email the Editor