Laloo’s arrest will weaken UF: Surjeet

MADURAI, July 28: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet has strongly criticised the appointment ...

MADURAI, July 28: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet has strongly criticised the appointment of a woman “who was neither a MLA nor had had any political experience” as the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Speaking to mediapersons here recently, Surjeet said that former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav’s arrest would weaken the United Front government as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 16 MPs.

Stressing on the need to get Parliament’s consent to invoke Article 356 to prevent its misuse by political parties, he said the Article was formulated to be used only in case of threat to national security and widespread disturbances in a state. Even the Sarkaria Commission had clearly stated that Article 356 was being misused, he said.

Taking a dig at corrupt politicians, Surjeet said nearly 40 former ministers and one former prime minister in India had been accused of corruption and had this been in China, they would have been hanged. Corruption was eroding the country’s democratic fabric and the CPM was committed to fight this, he said. To a pointed question on the alleged misuse of funds by the West Bengal Government meant for local bodies, he said the allegations were baseless and were aimed at defaming the party. All questions raised by the Controller and Auditor General had been answered, he said.