Railway bribery rocks UPA Govt.

Hardly a day passes when a charge of bribery, scandal and scam appears in the UPA-II Govt. UPA Govt. appears to be synonymous with corrupt practices and no morality in public life appears to be left with the ministers of Manmohan Singh Council of Ministers. The CBI has arrested the nephew of Union Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs. 90.000 from a high-level railway official through a conduit to fix a top-level post in Railway Board. Though the Railway Minister Bansal has distanced himself from his nephew V Singla and dismissed any business link with him, he must have the realization that because of his being maternal uncle of accused and very close to him, it is clear that he had allegedly taken bribe to influence him. That is all public knows. Congress Party has also brushed aside Bansal’s resignation and described the demand of his resignation by opposition parties as its disease. But the party forgets that the people know everything, symptoms of corruption as a grave disease are itself clearly reflected within its party leaders in government and how much honest the Congress leaders be reflected in people's verdict in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It also appears that the UPA Ministers have the motto to loot the nation and the people until they become bankrupt. Why a person who has no relation with Railway Minister or nothing to do with Railway Ministry would take bribe from a top official of the department to fix a top post in Railway Board. To uphold the probity in public life, the Railway Minister must resign immediately pending to the period of enquiry. The Congress Party must ask Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar Railways and Law Ministers respectively to resign forthwith. Ashwani Kumar is also facing the charge of sharing with the CBI draft status report on Coalgate scam, which was to be submitted to the Supreme Court. If these two ministers resign immediately, the message will go out in public that the ruling Congress Party is committed to upholding probity in public life. Otherwise, its tainted face will invite much public ire in the coming Lok Sabha election in 2014. It is true that Opposition BJP has the habit of demanding resignation every now and then. But where the culpability is all before every naked eye of the public about the bribery charge against the nephew of the Railways Minister, there is no sense in defending him. More the Congress Party defends its tainted ministers, more the harm it inflicts on itself. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi must take the charge of bribery and misuse of office seriously against their ministers and ask them to resign forthwith. Otherwise, the sinking boat of the Congress Party is bound to sink finally in the coming Lok Sabha elections.