Kerala - Kochi   

Scandals become the hallmark of Congress: Pinarayi

KOCHI: Private monopolies and big corporate houses have turned into forces that mould the policy of the country through their influence in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, which now comprise a large number of ‘crorepatis' from the Congress, its allies and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan here on Monday.

He was addressing a public meeting at Vyttila Junction as part of the party's campaign against corruption and communalism.

Mr. Vijayan said if financial scandals had become the hallmark of the Congress, the BJP was not far behind.

The way the party's Central leadership treated the Karnataka Chief Minister was an example of how the BJP had condoned the misdeeds of the Chief Minister, he said.

Mr. Vijayan sought to know the reason for the Congress party's reluctance to order a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the 2G Spectrum scandal in spite of some of its allies expressing the same opinion as the Opposition and the Left parties.

Crorepatis

He said Parliament in the past comprised political activists who had made sacrifices for the country. They had now been replaced by ‘crorepatis' from political parties.

There are 300 ‘crorepatis' in the Lok Sabha, which has a strength of 543 now. The Congress has 138 ‘crorepati' members in the Lok Sabha. The Bharatiya Janata Party has 58 ‘crorepati' MPs, Mr. Vijayan said. In the Rajya Sabha, there are 95 ‘crorepatis.'

The Lok Sabha members have a total declared asset of Rs. 3,075 crore.

These members represent around 58 crore voters in the country, who earn Rs. 20 or less a day.

Mr. Vijayan said the situation in the country had deteriorated to such an extent that private corporate houses could now decide the policy of the country. It was under these circumstances that the CPI (M) had decided to take the issue to the court of the ordinary people. The campaign against corruption and communalism would continue till December 11.

District Secretary of the CPI(M) Gopi Kottamurikkal and party leaders K. Chandran Pillai and C. K. Manishankar were among those present at the public meeting.

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