'Congress has always worked hard to fight corruption'

The issue of ethics and transparency in governance is a subject which has attracted a great deal of attention in the recent days.

There is a growing feeling among people that our laws, systems and procedures are not effective in dealing with corruption.

We must recognise that there is little public tolerance now for the prevailing state of affairs. Corruption is a challenge that we must tackle boldly and the Congress stands committed in doing so.

The Congress party has always been sensitive to the issue of corruption and has worked hard in fighting against the evil.

The investigating agencies are looking into many high-profile cases of corruption, which have attracted a great deal of public attention. The handling of these cases constitutes a litmus test.

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It is also important for the agencies to ensure that their judgment always remains rooted in hard evidence and is not influenced by extraneous factors. Ours is an open and free society. There will be many views and opinions on all issues.

For an investigating agency, there can be only one guiding beacon, only one gold standard -- and that is -- the law of the land. Whoever transgresses it, however mighty, has to be brought to book.

At the same time, the agencies have to avoid harassment to those who act in good faith in the discharge of their duties. There should be no vendetta, no witch-hunt and no harassment of the innocent.

There should be no apprehension of punitive action for bonafide mistakes, as India cannot afford an environment that breeds fear, inaction and indecision. Investigation is only one part of the process to bring the guilty to book.

Trials have also to be conducted, and conducted speedily. The Central government has set up 71 additional special courts for dealing with cases entrusted to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

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A committee of ministers of civil society is at work to finalise the draft of a Lokpal Bill, which we hope to introduce during the monsoon session of Parliament.

Two Bills relating to judicial accountability and protection of whistle-blowers have already been introduced in Parliament. There is a need to soon ratify the United Nations Convention on Corruption.

The government has a duty to respond to the demands of the civil society, but it must be done in a way that does not compromise the rightful authority of an elected government. Was it necessary for four senior ministers to go to the airport?

It is also desirable that the representatives of the civil society understand that law-making involves certain procedures. There are forums to discuss issues relating to the constitution.

Any elected government and Parliament also represents that civil society and its aspirations. No specific group or set of people can be allowed to decide constitutional matters on the streets.

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Indian economy has been in reasonably good shape in the past seven years. We have achieved an impressive growth rate, which we were able to sustain even in the midst of the worst global financial crisis of recent times.

But, during the past year-and-a-half, persistent inflation, especially in the food sector, has become a cause for concern. Food prices rose following the drought in 2009.

Although the situation has improved in recent months and food inflation has come down to single-digit levels, the long-term solution lies in increased production and productivity in the agricultural sector.

The public outcry regarding the setting up a panel for the drafting of the Lokpal Bill has become a matter of great public opinion.

The movement led by Anna Hazare caught the public imagination and became a loud demand from all sources. Of course, in the din was lost the fact that the the National Advisory Committee was seized of the matter and was on the verge of coming out with their recommendations.

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The inclusion of people from the public in the drafting committee is a step in this direction.

It is not possible to set right in a short span what has been going wrong over a long period. In the fight against black money stashed abroad, it is not only a matter of action to be initiated by our government, but complexities of the laws of those places where such money is purported to have been kept.

Many steps are being initiated and laws being enacted. We are confident that this would see the return of a large part of our money illegally taken to tax havens.

The Congress has fared well in the Assembly polls of April-May. The Congress has retained power in Assam, returned to power in Kerala and trounced the Left Front government in West Bengal with its alliance partner, Trinamool Congress.

The results in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were affected by the 2G scam and these states were lost to other parties.

Excerpts from the editorial in Congress Sandesh, the mouthpiece of the Congress, issue dated May-June.