Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of blocking passage of six anti-graft bills by Parliament, which form part of the government's anti-corruption framework.
"Who is standing against those bills? We want to pass them. We are being stopped in Parliament. Who is stopping it? BJP is stopping it. They don't allow functioning of Parliament," Gandhi, who has been making a strong pitch for the six legislations, said at a public rally in Belgaum.
"Today in Parliament six anti-graft bills are pending. The bills which are of help to you. The bills that give power to you," the Congress Vice-President said as he attacked BJP which has made corruption its main weapon of attack against the United Progressive Alliance government.
Gandhi said, "They (BJP) only talk, we bring progress." He also told the gathering that it was the Congress which gave power to the people through legislations like RTI. "Who brought the right to information? Who gave powers to your hands. The Congress party did it. Whatever was happening behind closed doors are getting known to you because of RTI. Who brought the Lokpal Bill? BJP did not bring it. The Congress brought it," he said.
Pushing for creation of a framework to fight corruption, Gandhi had recently appealed to Opposition parties to support the passage of six bills in the ongoing Parliament session, whose functioning has gone haywire on Telengana and other issues.
"My request is also to the Opposition parties that they should not stop such bills -- the bills related to (fighting) corruption and the bill related to the rights of the street vendors. Everybody should join hands to pass these bills," he had said recently.
The draft of six legislations on which Gandhi has been laying thrust are the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010, the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, 2011, the
Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011, the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and Officials of Public International Organisations Bill, 2011, the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Public Procurement Bill, 2012.
In his brief speech, Gandhi also said, "We will pass Women's Reservation bill in Parliament. We will give more power to women in politics. We will try and give more and more women members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assembly."
Noting that the Congress was ruling in Karnataka, he said, the party would give respect and empower weaker sections of the society, women and the poor.
"We will empower you. We will try and give you as much strength as possible. (state Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah is doing it. He is focusing on irrigation and farmers."
"In the coming days, when the Congress will form the government in Delhi in 2014, we will deeply work for the poor; work for the youth,” Gandhi said.
