Abolish Development Fund for MPs, MLAs, discuss others- Left

New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) The Left parties today endorsed the Moily Commission recommendation on abolition of Development Fund for MPs and MLAs while asking for a thorough discussion on others even as the Forward Bloc said its advocacy of seeking a fresh mandate on the part of coalition partners leaving it mid stream was "not palatable." While top CPI leaders pleaded for amalgamation of the proposal for forming a National Judicial Council with the Law Ministry's recommendation for a Judicial Commission for appointment of judges among other things, CPI( M) leaders stressed the need for bringing the office of the Prime Minister in the ambit of the Rashtriya Lokayukta and the people's "Right to recall." In its 263-page report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), headed by former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, has suggested a slew of measures to contain the menace of corruption in public life.

CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi said as far as the abolition of the Development Fund for MPs and MLAs is concerned the Left would have "no objection." Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had already proposed it long back, the CPI leaders said adding that actually the quantum of corruption in disbursing such funds, had vitiated the developmental projects."Barring the Left, most other party MPs don't use the funds properly," they claimed.

Mr Bardhan, the CPI General Secretary, said the recommendation on setting up of the National Judicial Council" is welcome but at the same time it should be amalgamated with the proposal of the Law Ministry for setting up of a Judicial Commission.'' Mr Faizi, party national secretary, said nobody could deny that there is corruption at various levels in judiciary. Even political parties had used appointment of judges for leverage." The proposal should be thoroughly debated both in and outside Parliament.'' Elaborating, the CPI leaders said the political parties having pre-poll alliances should not desert the coalition mid-way." But that cannot be imposed on a post-poll coalition. The basic question is adherence to the policies and programmes that form the very basis of coalition politics." While CPI(M) senior leader Rup Chand Pal observed all the proposals of the Report needed to be discussed thoroughly, Party Leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia pleaded for legislation on" people's right to recall." Forward Bloc General Secretary Devbrat Biswas was more forthright when he asserted that if the dominant party continued to violate and ignore the agreed programmes, the smaller partners would have no option than to wreck the boat.

"In such a situation, if the leading party violates the coalition dharma, there is no justification for the smaller parties to seek fresh mandate as there is no need for it," Mr Biswas added.

On MPs development Fund, the Forward Bloc leader said the task of development should be left to the local bodies and the panchayats as they are closer to the ground realities.

UNI