Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Inclusion of Prime Minister or Chief Justice of India in the ambit of Lokpal "hardly matters" in the fight against corruption, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.
Replying to query from rediff.com during an interaction with media persons, the Trinamool Congress leader said: "Inclusion of one man will not help fighting corruption. In any case the present prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is an honest man."
However, she also said that in case the prime minister was included in the ambit of Lokpal, "I have no problem. I am with the UPA."
In response to another question by rediff.com on whether she agreed with Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's suggestion that time had come for Rahul Gandhi to become prime minister, Mamata said this was for Congress to decide."I love the Gandhi family. I had good relations with Rajiv Gandhi and have good relations with Soniaji, Rahul and Priyanka. This is an internal matter of the Congress party and as an ally of UPA, I will support the decision," Mamata said.
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'If anyone says all politicians are corrupt, then let them join politics'
In an apparent dig at civil society, she had yesterday said: "Our party is against corruption. But we are also against creating drama."
To another question, Banerjee said "if anyone says all politicians are corrupt, then let them join politics."
Pressing for a comprehensive package to check the menace of corruption at all levels, Trinamool Congress chief demanded that the moneys illegally stashed abroad should be brought back.
She also suggested that electoral reform measures be carried out by the Election Commission and said state funding of polls would go a long way to curb the use of black money in the electoral process.
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