BJP national general secretary (Org), Ramlal, right, addressing media persons at the Circuit House, Dimapur on June 22. On left is state BJP president M. Chuba Ao. (Caisii Mao Photo)
DIMAPUR, JUNE 22 (MExN): The Bharatiya Janata Party has launched its proposed nationwide campaign against corruption. Termed as a movement against corruption and a call to bring back ‘black money’ stashed away in foreign banks, the country’s main opposition party started the movement, a day ahead, from Nagaland on Wednesday, June 22. Egged on, in part, by the police action against Yoga guru Baba Ramdev earlier this month, the BJP had announced in its aftermath, a four-day countrywide stir beginning June 23.
Responding to the call of the party high command, the Nagaland unit of the BJP organised an hour-long ‘dharna’ at its unit office located at Naga Shopping Arcade in Dimapur today, formally kicking off the campaign. It was spearheaded by BJP national general secretary (Org) Ramlal, who was in the state. He was accompanied by P. Chandrasekhar Rao, the party’s secretary in charge of the north east; and Member of Parliament from Assam, Rajen Gohain, MP in charge of Nagaland.
BJP launch anti-corruption movement from Nagaland
The state unit was led by President M. Chuba Ao, general secretary Yamboss Murry and the respective district and frontal heads of the party.
Later addressing media persons, Ramlal outlined the three-point objectives of the campaign – rooting out corruption in governance, the highly volatile question of ‘black money’ and the passing of the long proposed ‘anti-corruption bill’ left in the back burner by successive governments at the Centre.
“The campaign is being launched to sensitise the people, starting from the grassroots, for a corruption free India”, Ramlal said and to bring to public focus of what it termed as corruption that is running rife in the ruling UPA alliance. The UPA with its autocratic way of functioning is straying from democratic principles, he added. He referred to the forceful eviction of Baba Ramdev on the night of June 4 from the Ramlila grounds in New Delhi as one of the examples. “We want to pressure the government to pass the anti-corruption bill.”
Queried on the decades old slogan of the Congress ‘Garibi Hatao’, Ramlal remarked that the Congress has only furthered poverty during the sixty odd years since the launch of the slogan. Contradicting the aim of the slogan, the Congress have only promoted ‘capitalists’, he added. “They’ve only made the poor poorer (and) the people no longer buy their deceit.”
The ‘dharna’ also coincided with the state BJP’s executive meeting. President M. Chuba Ao said that at the meeting, the state unit decided to extend its full support and cooperation to the BJP’s fight against corruption. The meeting resolved to warn the Nagaland government to take serious note of the growing rate of unemployment in the state, curbing backdoor appointment, redress the alarming trend of poverty, and to exercise total transparency and declare the total state borrowings and its interest liability without hiding from the people, Ao disclosed of the meeting. It also resolved to demand from the state government to award fitting punishment to all government officers who are caught indulging in corrupt practices. On the condition of roads, Ao said that the government should strictly check the quality of workmanship according to the norms.
India tops black money deposits in Swiss Bank
Earlier addressing a gathering at the ‘dharna’, Ramlal brought to notice a number of scams infesting the ruling alliance such as the “2G Scam, Adarsh Society Scam, Common Wealth Game Scam Coalblog Scam, Isro Devas Deal Scam which are in public domain”. “One important Congress Leader and M.P. Mr. Kalmadi, one Central Minister Mr.Raja and UPA Partner DMK Leader Kani Mozhi already in jail.” “It shows that the nexus of corrupt person today rule the country,” he said.
On the issue of ‘black money’: “Still Indian government is not asking for the details… to reasons best known to them.” Under pressure from governments the world over, the Swiss government had recently agreed “to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective governments formally asked for it,” he said. “We need to start a movement to pressurize the government to do so. This is perhaps the only way, and a golden opportunity, to expose the high and mighty and weed out corruption.”
Quoting a ‘Swiss Banking Association report 2006’, Ramlal disclosed that India has more money stashed away in Swiss banks than the rest of the world combined. Of the top-5 countries in the list, India stands at the number one position with $1,456 billion, he said. Russia comes a distant second at $ 470 billion, he added.
Responding to the call of the party high command, the Nagaland unit of the BJP organised an hour-long ‘dharna’ at its unit office located at Naga Shopping Arcade in Dimapur today, formally kicking off the campaign. It was spearheaded by BJP national general secretary (Org) Ramlal, who was in the state. He was accompanied by P. Chandrasekhar Rao, the party’s secretary in charge of the north east; and Member of Parliament from Assam, Rajen Gohain, MP in charge of Nagaland.
BJP launch anti-corruption movement from Nagaland
The state unit was led by President M. Chuba Ao, general secretary Yamboss Murry and the respective district and frontal heads of the party.
Later addressing media persons, Ramlal outlined the three-point objectives of the campaign – rooting out corruption in governance, the highly volatile question of ‘black money’ and the passing of the long proposed ‘anti-corruption bill’ left in the back burner by successive governments at the Centre.
“The campaign is being launched to sensitise the people, starting from the grassroots, for a corruption free India”, Ramlal said and to bring to public focus of what it termed as corruption that is running rife in the ruling UPA alliance. The UPA with its autocratic way of functioning is straying from democratic principles, he added. He referred to the forceful eviction of Baba Ramdev on the night of June 4 from the Ramlila grounds in New Delhi as one of the examples. “We want to pressure the government to pass the anti-corruption bill.”
Queried on the decades old slogan of the Congress ‘Garibi Hatao’, Ramlal remarked that the Congress has only furthered poverty during the sixty odd years since the launch of the slogan. Contradicting the aim of the slogan, the Congress have only promoted ‘capitalists’, he added. “They’ve only made the poor poorer (and) the people no longer buy their deceit.”
The ‘dharna’ also coincided with the state BJP’s executive meeting. President M. Chuba Ao said that at the meeting, the state unit decided to extend its full support and cooperation to the BJP’s fight against corruption. The meeting resolved to warn the Nagaland government to take serious note of the growing rate of unemployment in the state, curbing backdoor appointment, redress the alarming trend of poverty, and to exercise total transparency and declare the total state borrowings and its interest liability without hiding from the people, Ao disclosed of the meeting. It also resolved to demand from the state government to award fitting punishment to all government officers who are caught indulging in corrupt practices. On the condition of roads, Ao said that the government should strictly check the quality of workmanship according to the norms.
India tops black money deposits in Swiss Bank
Earlier addressing a gathering at the ‘dharna’, Ramlal brought to notice a number of scams infesting the ruling alliance such as the “2G Scam, Adarsh Society Scam, Common Wealth Game Scam Coalblog Scam, Isro Devas Deal Scam which are in public domain”. “One important Congress Leader and M.P. Mr. Kalmadi, one Central Minister Mr.Raja and UPA Partner DMK Leader Kani Mozhi already in jail.” “It shows that the nexus of corrupt person today rule the country,” he said.
On the issue of ‘black money’: “Still Indian government is not asking for the details… to reasons best known to them.” Under pressure from governments the world over, the Swiss government had recently agreed “to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective governments formally asked for it,” he said. “We need to start a movement to pressurize the government to do so. This is perhaps the only way, and a golden opportunity, to expose the high and mighty and weed out corruption.”
Quoting a ‘Swiss Banking Association report 2006’, Ramlal disclosed that India has more money stashed away in Swiss banks than the rest of the world combined. Of the top-5 countries in the list, India stands at the number one position with $1,456 billion, he said. Russia comes a distant second at $ 470 billion, he added.
