>You can't have it both ways - admire the
goons and also wish for a change in
>the system that is being polluted
by such goons.--
*** Interesting. So the indicted 'system' was caused by Laloo
admirers and 'goon' admirers?
I learn something everyday :-).
*** At the risk of being overly redundant, I must remind netters,
that not only was *I* not responsible for rigging up the 'system, I
had no part in aiding or abetting it either; my alleged 'admiration'
of 'Laloo and his goons' not withstanding.
On the matter of *my* alleged admiration of Laloo and his RJD
goons, I thought I explained that it was not so much about Laloo or
Laloo-likes that was the issue we were talking of recently--but its
root-cause, a 'system' which encourages,supports and rewards such
behavior and one which is utterly incapable of self-correcting.
That is what the ToI article validates. Not that it needed any
validation by the any newspaper -- it has always been there, brazenly
displayed. But it is visible only for those who are willing to see it,
willing to recognize what exists. For those who are unwilling to see
it, no amount of ToI validation would change it.
*** Anyway, no need to feel guilty about the state of the
'system', nor any need to be feel defensive. *You* are not responsible
for creating it either. But the unwillingness of the able to see its
faults certainly gives it succor and helps perpetuate it.
At 9:45 AM -0700 10/28/04, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote:
The news report below says, "Singh has a squeaky-clean image, but his Congress party-led minority government is crucially dependent on a clutch of smaller groups, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal which the report said had the most MPs embroiled in cases of crime."
RJDal by the way is the Bihari Goonda party headed by the chief Goonda Laloo, who was idolized in this net just a few weeks ago. You can't have it both ways - admire the goons and also wish for a change in the system that is being polluted by such goons.
===============================================================
Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
NO WAYYYY!>"It's a shocking indictment of the system*** Really?AY, OCTOBER 27, 2004 10:06:14 PM ]
NEW DELHI: Almost one-quarter of the over 540 Members of Parliament elected this year face criminal charges ranging from murder to extortion and even rape, a study by an independent watchdog said.
MPs from almost all political parties are involved, but half of the parliamentarians from a powerful regional partner of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition are tainted by such charges, which if proved, entail a minimum jail term of five years, the Bangalore-based Public Affairs Centre said.
The report, obtained by Reuters on Wednesday, is based on affidavits filed by politicians before they fought Lok Sabha polls under a new rule enforced by the Supreme Court to improve transparency and probity in public life.
"It's a shocking indictment of the system that one-fourth of our elected representatives to the highest democratic body have criminal cases against them," said Samuel Paul, chairman of the group which has been campaigning for cleaner politics.
The study gave no figures but said 23.2 percent of all MPs had been served criminal charges.
Singh has a squeaky-clean image, but his Congress party-led minority government is crucially dependent on a clutch of smaller groups, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal which the report said had the most MPs embroiled in cases of crime.
Almost half of the party's 23 MP's were involved, it said.
Indian laws allow politicians facing criminal charges to run for public office, debarring them only in case of convictions, which are rare in an overloaded and imperfect judicial system.
On Wednesday, Singh's Cabinet deferred long pending anti-corruption legislation aimed at bringing top public offices within the ambit of an ombudsman.
An official said the Cabinet could not discuss the anti-corruption bill because two ministers were not present. But analysts say the legislation, which was proposed three decades ago, has failed to make headway because politicians have been resisting it.More than half of Lok Sabha members had assets of over 5 million rupees, in a country where a quarter of the billion-plus population lives on less than fifty rupees a day, the PAC study found.
Real estate was the most popular asset.
Congress MPs accounted for more than half the assets of all Members of Parliament.
Communist parties that give vital support to the Congress coalition had the least wealthy MPs with assets of less than one million rupees.
"A striking finding is the dominance of the richer classes in the electoral arena," the PAC said. "Money power is truly the entry barrier in this game."
Samuel said there were wealthy politicians in many countries, but the disparity between MPs and those who elected them seemed especially startling. "The average MP is not an ordinary man, he is upper crust."
Some 260 million Indians still do not have access to wholesome food, basic health or drinking water.
MPs, who helped themselves to a salary hike three years ago, earn a basic salary of 12,000 rupees, besides allowances. They are also given heavily subsidised housing, free air and rail tickets, electricity and water.
However, nearly half of all MPs were yet to repay loans to public financial institutions, while nearly 14 percent owed money to government departments, the PAC said.
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