Congress and corruption, both are inseparable. There is widespread impression that failure of integrity is common among ministers. They have enriched themselves illegitimately and reaped other advantages inconsistent with any notion of purity in public life. There were numerous incidents of corruption in the previous Congress governments. Latest, during UPA rule is alarming. It has surpassed all the previous records of corruption. This time, with all their alliance partners have indulged in corruption with a new concept of ?Aam Aadmi?.
The award of the 2G GSM licenses to new mobile and CDMA operators has created a huge controversy. The extent of money lost by the country is estimated to be many times more than Rs. 50,000 crore, with companies who have got their new licenses, selling them within a few months for 6-7 times of what they paid. This appears to be a plain and simple loot of the exchequer by quoting the spectrum licenses cheaper and allow the companies to resell market value without any restrictions.
Telecom Minister Mr. Raja and the current cabinet are solely responsible for the scandalous decision to allot spectrum on a first-come-first-served basis, which has led to the loss of Rs. 5000/- crore or more to national treasury.
The Central Vigilance Commission has raised serious doubts about the way the spectrum allocation has been done. CVC also condemned the unethical practice of reselling the licenses.
In the UPA, there is no dearth of ministers who are guilty of constitutional impropriety. Shri TR Balu, Minister for Surface Transport and Shipping, has admitted in the Rajya Sabha that he had used his official position to seek allocation of gas for a company owned by his family, which had also been headed by him in the past.
He had pressurised PMO to write eight letters, between November 2007 and February 2008 to the concerned ministry to expedite gas allocations to these companies.
According to Sri Balu, ?King Chemicals? has been allotted about 10,000 cubic meter of gas by GAIL. To rehabilitate the kings chemical company, kings high power gas approached GAIL. They have been provided 4.5 lakh cubic metre gas to see that power is produced out of Gas.
It must be recalled that the President request to supply gas to Sri Balu'scompanies comes at a time when the power sector was suffering from acute gas shortages. What to say about the minister'sselfishness. Ministers personal need became more important than the pressing need of the nation.
One of the major UPA Government scandals is the manner in which it has permitted mushrooming of over 400 Special Economic Zones (SEZ) all over the country. It has allowed many promoters to turn SEZ into the biggest land grabbing rackets in the history of independent India.
The worst part of corruption is looting ordinary man'swealth and health. Even though they came to power with the slogan of Aam Aadmi, they have not excluded them in the cruel exercise of robbing and looting.
According to a report, Rs 31,585.98 crore worth of wheat and rice meant for the poorest of the poor was siphoned off to black market sale from the public distribution system in 2006-07. In this way, every year Indians poor are cheated of 53.3 per cent of the wheat and 39 per cent of the rice meant for them.
World Bank president Robert B. Zoellick revealed ?unacceptable indicators? of fraud and corruption in the five health projects of UPA Government which gets trends from US worth millions of dollars for tuberculosis, malaria and Aids awareness projects. Allegations of bid rigging, bribery and manipulating bid prices were made against UPA government.
The ugly sense of corruption was seen by the whole world when three BJP MPs showed the currency notes inside the Parliament, when the fate of Manmohan Singh Government hung in balance. They alleged that the cash was part of a pay off offered to them by Ahmed Patel and Amar Singh to defect and vote for the ruling party.
That is the short history of shame faced by Congress and UPA government. Congress has become the citadel of self seekers. It has been reduced to a party of swindlers. It is high time to throw Congress out by lock, stock and barrel. The people should never allow them to come back to power.
