Friday, January 7, 2011

Public persons should not be corrupt: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) was of the view that public persons, political leaders and those holding high positions should be free from corruption, the CPI(M) Kerala State secretariat said in a statement referring to the controversy arised with regard to the former CJ K J Balakrishnan. CPI(M) state secreteriat said the LDF government had issued instructions to the authorities concerned to take cognisance of the allegation that Youth Congress leader Sreenijin had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known income on account of this stand.

Mr. Sreenijin had contested the last Assembly elections as a Congress candidate. The allegations against him had resulted in a furore in the Congress and Youth Congress.

The party did not wish to interfere in this, but there would also be no delay on the part of the LDF government in acting on issues that demanded legal and administrative interventions.

The Chief Minister and Home Minister had referred the complaint against Mr. Sreenijin on this basis.

The CPI(M), the party secretariat said, had no hesitation in reacting to issues that contravened the party stand that public persons, political leaders and persons holding high offices should be above corruption.

The allegations against the former Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, were now before the Supreme Court. If there was any merit in the complaint, it was for the Centre and the court to take action.

Misunderstanding

This being the case, the former judge of the Supreme Court, V.R. Krishna Iyer's, allegation that the CPI(M) was observing silence on the issue was the result of misunderstanding.

The Congress and its allies were also using the issue to attack the CPI(M), but they had no moral right to do so as the party and the UPA government were reeling under the Common Wealth Games, Adarsh Flat, 2 G spectrum scams and the disclosure of the Income Tax Tribunal that middlemen had pocketed Rs.41.2 crore in the Bofors deal, the CPI(M) secretariat said.

Speed up issuance of ration cards: DYFI

bout 100 members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists thronged the Collectorate to petition the District Supply Officer asking him to take steps to eradicate the bogus cards in circulation and to speed up the issuance of new ration cards.

The DYFI activists pointed out that as many as 70 persons who had applied for ration cards from Kottaikadu area many months back could not be located.

“The officials concerned in the taluk supplies office are not giving proper reply to the queries of the applicants,” they complained.

According to DYFI cadre, similar grievances of delay in obtaining the ration cards could be heard across the taluk.

Another concern raised by DYFI was the bogus cards in circulation.

A query posted under Right to Information Act revealed that hundreds of live bogus cards were there under one shop alone in Avinashi taluk, they pointed out.

DYFI district secretary R Vadivel and Town committee secretary (south) Stalin Bharathi, among others, were present.

(Source : The Hindu)

Protect Right of Assembly

It is highly unfortunate that the Supreme Court had upheld the judgement of the Kerala High Court imposing a ban on public meetings and rallies on road sides. It has been the common practice for political parties and other public organisations to hold meetings on the side of the road. Since Kerala is a continuous urban-rural stretch, holding of the road side meetings is the most convenient way to reach out to the people.

This right of assembly is now being taken away by a judicial fiat based on a farfetched interpretation of the Constitution that the right of movement is superior to the right of assembly. This may be extended to the whole country. This order comes in the wake of other restrictions imposed by the judiciary on holding of demonstrations, rallies and general strikes.

This does not augur well for a democracy. The state legislatures and parliament should adopt legislation protecting the right to assemble, to hold public meetings and demonstrations.