The major opposition party in the centre, Bhartiya Janta Party Saturday has launched frontal attack on the Congress-led UPA Government after the arrest of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew who was booked by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with two others including a senior railway official for securing top position in the government.
Demanding the arrest and prosecution of Railway Minister, BJP has also sought the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging that under his dispensation, India has become defamed as the most corrupt nation.
"We demand that not only Pawan Bansal be sacked, but he should be prosecuted by the CBI because under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, if any public servant abuses his position to obtain pecuniary benefits for himself of any other person is liable to be prosecuted and convicted," said BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
" And the way the Railway Board promotion is the object of corruption in this case, pecuniary advantage by someone close to the Railway Minister, seeking that pecuniary advantage, abusing the authority of the Railway Minister is a copybook case of prosecution of Bansal. Therefore, in addition to demanding he be sacked, the BJP would like that the CBI must prosecute him," he added.
Prasad alleged that morality is no more a factor relevant in the UPA II Government of Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
"I cannot invoke their morality quotient. But yet as the principal opposition articulating the concern of the common people, the BJP is duty bound reiterate that Dr. Manmohan Singh each passing day reinforces our demand that you please resign as the Prime Minister of India because you do not have any moral right left to govern because India is getting established as the most corrupt regime in the world under your dispensation," he said.
Prasad, who is the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said the BJP would make an appeal to President Pranab Mukherjee to ensure that Pawan Bansal is brought to book and accountability is sought.
"And lastly, if no action is taken with the highest deference to the high office of the President of India, we shall to appeal to the President that within the framework of his constitutional power he must exercise his authority to ensure that Pawan Bansal must be brought to book and all the corruption of this government an accountability is sought and appropriate follow up action is taken," he said.
Prasad also lashed out at the Railway Minister over his explanation that he has no business relationship with the person arrested in Chandigarh.
"Do you need to have a business relationship? Here was a case where one of his relations along with other intimate acquaintance has been arrested in Chandigarh. Huge cash has been seized, the promise amount in m ore than two crores. And the decision in question is the promotion to the Railway Board," said Prasad.
"We have heard that small tenders for canteen and recruitment in railway was marred in corruption. But here is a case that the topmost assignment in the Railway Board, membership and chairman, is now being negotiated for sale. The rank is akin to the Secretary, Government of India," he added.
Prasad further alleged that the Congress-led UPA is a government of brokers and middlemen where every government decision is available for sale.
"The Congress has reduced the Government of India like a bazaar (market) where very decision is tradable. This is a very shocking and distressing state of affair, which has been reduced to as far as the Government of India is concerned," said Prasad.
"Why it is happening? It is happening because the Prime Minister himself is under serious clout of corruption in the Coalgate. His serious silence and inaction in case of many other scams and all the ministers enjoying his and Sonia Gandhi's patronage are indulging in loot of the versatile. What has happened in Railwaygate is only a symptom of that," he added.
Bansal has distanced himself from his nephew arrested by CBI in a case of bribery for allegedly fixing a top level position in Railway Board, and said that he had no business links with him and denied any wrongdoing.
64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.
"I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter," he said in a statement.
The CBI has arrested four persons, including the Railway Minister's nephew, V. Singla, for allegedly taking bribe to fix a top-level position in the government.
Singla was arrested in Chandigarh yesterday for accepting Rs. 90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar. Kumar was arrested in Mumbai soon after he arrived in the metropolis from Delhi. The other two persons arrested by the CBI are Sandip Goyal, who allegedly assisted in brokering the deal and Manjunath.
The CBI has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC against them. The CBI also carried out searches in Delhi, Chandigarh and other cities in this connection.
The arrested persons are likely to be brought to Delhi from Chandigarh later in the day.
--With ANI Inputs--
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