Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, JAN, 06
Agitated over the new directive of the State govt allowing ex-MLAs to utilize the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), a strong contingent of Panther activists spearheaded by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP, Mr. Yash Paul Kundal State President Young Panthers and other leaders staged a thunderous protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground in Jammu today. While raising slogans, the infuriated protesters accused the corrupt politician-bureaucrat nexus of plundering the tax payers money and demanded immediate revocation of the weird order.
Addressing the media, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh regretted that such a freakish order provided the most glaring example of loot and plunder of public exchequer by corrupt politicians in connivance with unscrupulous bureaucrats. “It was unprecedented in the 70 year history of the country that members of dissolved Assembly were being granted permission to use the CDF grants despite the same having lapsed with the dissolution of House. The situation is quite appalling where the politicians and top bureaucrats had become partners in crime of loot, while the administrative machinery below was made to remain as mere adjunct in the system. What kind of message are you sending across? One thing for sure, that by virtue of this directive, J&K has qualified for earning a dubious distinction to become No. 1 corrupt state now” , anguished Singh rued.
Expressing shock over the most unconventional directive which showcased the rampant corruption in the State, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh questioned the issuance of the uncanny order on CDF issued 45 days after the dissolution of Assembly.”Where are the vigilante organizations? Why don’t they take suo-moto cognizance of such a brazen irregularity? By allowing the ex-MLAs to use CDF, the State coffers would be thrown open to be plundered by the ‘corrupts’ and the ‘unscrupulous’. All laws, norms and procedures were overtly flouted during the last 4 years but the recent order had said it all and broken all records of improbity and impropriety”, Harsh said. He maintained that Panthers Party shall not tolerate further siphoning of the public money and cautioned the govt. to revoke the CDF use order without delay as it brazenly violated financial code and SOPs. “It is State’s biggest ever CDF scam which should be brought under the scanner of CBI or NIA probe.
We would not only agitate the issue vigorously in the streets and outside the Civil Secretariat but approach the court as well seeking exemplary punishment for all those involved in contemplating and issuance of such order for vested interests”, roared Harsh.
Mr. Yash Paul Kundal said that corruption had engulfed the entire state during the last few years with norms and procedures openly blown into smithereens for personal and political gains. Execution of works without tenders, backdoor appointments, paid transfers and now back dated requisitions and orders on use of CDF had completed the vicious cycle of corruption, said Kundal. He appealed to the President of India to intervene to stem the rot as such kind of patronized corruption in President’s Rule was unacceptable and intolerable.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Gagan Partap Singh, Parshotam Parihar, Rajiv Mahajan, K.K Sharma, Bhavishan Singh, Nirmal Kishore, Surinder Chouhan, Chatter Pal Singh, Rashpaul Singh, Udhayveer Sambyal, Kulbushan Attri, Bhanu Partap Singh, Vikram Singh, Karanveer Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Anku Salathia, Karandeep Singh, Vikram Choudhary, Atul Nayyar, Ashwini Kumar, Darshan Lal, Ram Dass, Suresh Choudhary besides others.
