Declare war against corruption, Gujral tells people

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral on Friday called for a war against corruption and breaking the nexus between politicians and criminals. He also announced several measures to benefit the girl child, women and freedom fighters.

During his 80-minute-long Independence Day speech, the prime minister said people should launch a ''non-cooperation movement'' against corruption, on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha.

Urging people to ostracise corrupt persons, he directed the state governments to set up special courts and tribunals for expeditious disposal of corruption cases.

Gujral was addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, the venue of the main function to mark 50 years of Independence. His address drew huge crowds with people queuing up long before the scheduled time to witness the historic day's proceedings.

The prime minister said a fund would be set up to make investments in the name of each girl child born to families below poverty line. ''The government has decided to legally stop medical practitioners from disclosing the sex of a foetus,'' he said.

Gujral asserted that his government was committed to providing rightful status and opportunities to women in every sphere of life. ''Society cannot progress if women are denied their rights,'' he said.

The prime minister also announced various policy decisions of the United Front government, including the introduction of the long-pending Lok Pal -- a ''watchdog'' on the functioning of top government officials -- bill in the next session of Parliament.

He said a bill making primary education a fundamental right has been introduced in Parliament to remove the curse of illiteracy from the country.

Praising Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, as states which had achieved high literacy rates, he spoke of the direct link between high literacy and low population levels. He said a new national population policy is on the anvil.

Gujral said the Right to Information bill will be introduced in the next session of Parliament to bring about transparency in the functioning of various government and public sector offices.

He said a committee would be set up shortly to weed out archaic laws and to reform laws to end the backlog of cases in various courts.

Also, more courts are proposed to be set up in the country to reduce the load of cases on the existing courts. The CBI has been directed to expedite corruption cases and conclude them quickly.

He said the government had revived 10 public sector units which were on the brink of closure. It would strengthen several more as the UF considers the public sector to be part of the country's hard-earned national wealth.

As for freedom fighters, he said their pension would be doubled and linked to dearness allowance as a ''small gift'' from a grateful nation.

Referring to the Comprehensive (Nuclear) Test Ban Treaty, Gujral reasserted India's determination not to sign the treaty under any pressure.

''India will not sign the CTBT unless the nuclear powers destroy their nuclear arsenals,'' he said.

The prime minister made several references to national leaders, and recalled Mahatma Gandhi's dream of seeing a dalit as the country's President.

''We have fulfilled the dream. A man born in a poor dalit family, who later rose to become an eminent intellectual, has given new grace and dignity to the Rashtrapati Bhawan,'' he said.

Talking about India's neighbours, Gujral said India was in favour of promoting good relations with Pakistan and other countries on the condition that no one would interfere in other's internal affairs.

Referring to Pakistan, Gujral said talks were held at official level between the two countries which had shown inclination to move towards peace and prosperity.

The prime minister said India's relations with Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives were good and the understanding among them had improved since the United Front came to power. ''We can help one another in bringing about development,'' he said.

While the country wanted better relations with all and respect for one another's borders, it would brook no interference in maintaining its borders and national integrity, he added.

As for terrorist-infested Indian states, Gujral said the situation in Kashmir had improved mainly because of the people, especially youth and women who were strongly opposed to terrorism.

Nagaland too, he said, was moving towards normalcy. ''There would be no compromise on terrorism and gun culture would be sternly dealt with,'' he said.

The prime minister also announced that his government would offer new facilities for non-resident Indians. The benefits include easing of visa restrictions and right to buy property and make investments.

While loud applause greeted several of the prime minister's pronouncements, several sections of the audience became restive as the speech continued beyond one hour. With oppressive heat adding to their woes, several left in the middle of Gujral's address.

Earlier, soon after the prime minister's arrival, three helicopters flew overhead, showering rose and marigold petals. As Gujral unfurled the tricolour, the national anthem was played and a 21-gun salute fired.

The second-ever fly-past on Independence Day -- the first one was held in 1947 -- unveiled the newly-inducted Sukhoi-30 fighters to public gaze. The swift and sleek Sukhoi-30 fighter planes, recently inducted into the air force, were the main attraction of the fly-past. Fly-pasts are a regular feature of the Republic Day celebrations.

Three Sukhois jack-knifed through the sky. While one did a ''Charlie'' manoeuvre, turning around a few times, the other two turned at 45 degrees and disappeared into the morning clouds that initially hung over the Red Fort.

A batch of nine fighter trainers leaving streams in the colour of the National Flag also drew applause from the people.

However, the collapse of a giant inflated synthetic cloth Ashoka Emblem created a minor stir and diverted people's attention from the flag-hoisting for a brief while.

Meanwhile, in an interview to BBC World's Hard Talk programme on Wednesday, Gujral said, ''My major contribution in the last few months is that we have turned the corner as far as relations with our neighbours are concerned.

''We have been able to do something and we have now moved towards the last hurdle -- India and Pakistan relations. Since my talks with the Pakistan prime minister, I am optimistic that we will find a way out.''

Gujral cited the examples of India supplying 50,000 tonnes of sugar to Pakistan last year and the latter offering 300,000 mega-watts of surplus power to India as examples of how the two countries were already cooperating.

On Kashmir, he said, ''I am optimistic that, given the goodwill and commonality of interest, we will find a way out.''

''It's not me who runs the country, it's the system that runs the country. The system is strong, the nation is strong -- that's what gives me courage and hope. When I sit here as prime minister, I never look at myself as ruler of the nation. I look at myself as the instrument to keep the process of democracy running smoothly,'' Gujral said.

Asked about the jubilee celebrations, he said, ''We have very good reason to be proud. We were able to defeat a massive colonial power by non-violent means. We also want to celebrate the fact that we have survived five decades of democracy.''

The year-long jubilee celebrations got off to a colourful start on Thursday night with a ''March of the Nation'' and live shows by leading artistes against the backdrop of India Gate.

About 15,000 people took part in the march, flagged off from the national stadium at 2100 hrs. The march was preceded by Mangal Dhwani, Vande Mataram. A 30-second fireworks display lit up the sky as the first contingent marched down to Vijay Chowk.

The march was led by armed forces bands, two tableaux showing scenes from the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, freedom fighters, gallantry award-winners, MPs and MLAs.

The cultural extravaganza of the evening unfolded immediately after the first contingent reached Vijay Chowk. Noted music director A R Rahman, with his special composition of Vande Mataram, Mallika Sarabhai and her ballet and Odissi exponent Madhavi Mudgal enthralled the audience with live shows.

There was also a special midnight session of both Houses of Parliament, which witnessed the singing of Vande Mataram by Bhimsen Joshi and Sare Jehan Se Aacha by Lata Mangeshkar. President K R Narayanan addressed the nation.

UNI