People's Democracy

TAMILNADU

CPI(M) Leader Slams ‘Trimurti’ for Corruption

S P Rajendran

DESCRIBING the recent spate of corruption in the country as a product of the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued by the ‘trimurti’ of politicians, corporate houses and brokers, and the existing anti-corruption laws as “weak,” CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat stressed on July 19 the need for a strong alternative policy framework to fight corruption.

Addressing a meeting jointly organised by the Left parties in Chennai to demand the inclusion of prime minister in the ambit of the Lokpal Bill, constitution of a Judicial Commission to check the malpractices in the judiciary, electoral and judicial reforms, and the recovery of black money, Brinda Karat said the definition of corruption was itself very weak.

She said the recent growth in the magnitude of corruption in the country was a product of the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued by the said trimurti, adding that some of the representatives of this trimurti are now in jail. However, the Congress-led government at the centre was not prepared to take action against those involved in the 2-G spectrum scam till the intervention of the Supreme Court.

Pointing out that the decision to bring in the prime minister under the purview of the Lokpal Bill had been there since the days of the Janata Dal led National Front government with V P Singh as the prime minister, she said the present finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, was in favour of the idea even in 2001.

On the day, thousands of cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India and the All India Forward Bloc gathered in a protest march at Chennai in the evening, holding torchlights in their hands and shouting slogans against the mega corruption scams perpetrated under the UPA government.

CPI(M) Central Control Commission chairman N Sankaraiah, its state secretary G Ramakrishnan, senior CPI leader R Nallakannu, state secretary T Pandian, FB leader Balaji and others addressed the militant processionists.

This was part of the statewide movement, starting July 15, of the Left parties against corruption scams.