Stringent laws needed: JP

Hyderabad: Lok Satta national president Dr Jayaprakash Narayan suggested that the unfolding titanium mining scam in Andhra Pradesh be viewed as an opportunity to usher in laws to ensure sure and swift punishment to the corrupt. It may be recalled here that the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had asked the State Crime Investigation Department to “provisionally arrest” KVP Ramachandra Rao, MP and adviser to late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, in connection with the mining licence scam. KVP has been named along with five others by a US grand jury for their suspected role in a $18.5-million scheme to bribe Indian officials for a titanium mining contract in Andhra Pradesh.

JP said corruption could be curbed to a large extent if special courts were constituted to go into allegations against politicians and officials and swift and deterrent punishment, including confiscation of the entire property of the corrupt, was awarded. “The corrupt should be made to face the prospect of losing power, prestige, property and a long jail term. If such punishments are meted out to people in 10 cases in every State per year, corruption could be curbed,” he said.

Addressing a media conference, JP said that under a law enacted in the US in 1977, American companies cannot give bribes to further their business in other countries. JP also demanded that the Union government to bring back on a war-footing nearly $500 billion illegally stashed abroad by Indians and prevent stashing of nearly $80 billion a year. “Such a measure will come in handy to tackle current account deficit problems and funding the sorely needed infrastructure in the country,” he said.