HVK Archives: Gujral accuses politicians of adopting 'double standards'
Gujral accuses politicians of adopting 'double standards' - The Economic Times
Posted By Krishnakant Udavant (kkant@202.54.1.1)
19 July 1997
Title: Gujral accuses politicians of adopting 'double standards'
Author:
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: July 19, 1997
The Prime Minister, Mr I K Gujral, today accused politicians of adopting
'double standards' on corruption and said the country could not progress if
people charged with corruption refused to quit high offices.
Inaugurating a seminar on 'Strengthening civil society: voluntary action
and government response', Mr Gujral said persons facing corruption charges
were being allowed to continue in high offices due to political expediency.
"I am being dubbed as a weak prime minister. What can I do? The laws of
the country are such," he said. Charging political parties and leaders
with maintaining double standards on corruption, Mr Gujral said politicians
had lost credibility in society. "If their own people indulge in
corruption it is forgiven, but when others face such charges they launch
scathing attack," he said.
Similarly, on the Women's Reservation Bill, politicians projected one view
before the public but another in close circles, making it impossible for
the fair sex to liberate and empower themselves, the Prime Minister said.
Those who spoke at the function, organised by Samajwadi Mahila Sabha (SMS),
included deputy chairman Planning Commission Madhu Dandavate, Chief
Election Commissioner M S Gill and SMS convenor Pramila Dandavate.
Mr Gujral called upon the people to take a pledge to give the girl child
her due in the society and said all plans and programmes would go futile
as long as women continued to be oppressed and exploited.
Recalling the unparalleled courage exhibited by women during the freedom
struggle, the Prime Minister said people should realise that passing a
resolution to empower women would be of no use in the absence of moral values.
Mr Dandavate, speaking on the occasion, expressed concern at increasing
corrupt practices among public men, and said people had developed a
tendency to ignore corruption and accepted it as a fact of life.
No planning could be complete without fulfilling the needs of women, he
said, adding the ninth five-year-plan had a separate component for women's
development.
Underlining the need of a well-directed approach, Mr Dandavate said "it is
not only the speed but the direction of development which is also important."
He said women had been a neglected lot despite their sacrifice as
fundamental values were being undermined. Mr Gill said reservation for
women was necessary for their uplift as well as for country's development.
Ms Pramila Dandavate stressed the need of electoral reforms saying bold
steps needed to be taken against criminalisation of politics and for state
funding of elections and reservation for women. -PTI
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