The credibility of the Manmohan Singh-led government vis-a-vis corruption is very low, according to Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member Brinda Karat.
At a press conference here on Thursday, she said that the government could have saved itself from such a situation if it had heeded the notes of caution relating to the 2G and Commonwealth Games scams from her party earlier.
Ms. Karat regretted that the government was reacting only after agencies such as the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General focused attention on the issues.
ADVERTISEMENT
The UPA government had totally underestimated people's mood and their outrage against corruption of monumental proportions. It lacked the political will to adopt a new Lokpal. With scams being unearthed one after the other, such a public outrage was never witnessed in the country.
Two more scams relating to the Petroleum Ministry and Air India would join the list soon. These developments have made the people rally around social activist Anna Hazare and his anti-corruption movement, she said.
The government did not want to accept that corruption was the core issue. Except for certain conditions like inclusion of the judiciary, the CPI(M) was for the Lokpal drafted by Team Anna. The States should have Lok Ayuktas, she noted.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ms. Karat wondered how Mr. Hazare could call off his fast without a concrete assurance from the government, which had brushed aside the Opposition's demand to withdraw its Lokpal Bill.
The government, she said, was using the “Parliament versus people” debate as a shield to cover its own faults.
Asked to what extent the image of the country was affected in the international arena on account of the current face-off, she said India was already high on the list of corrupt nations. She said that her party was not for a mid-term poll.