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Today's News | News of Jan 22, 2007
Probity, Yes! But No Ban on Foreign Jaunts
by Liz Mathew and Faraz Ahmad

New Delhi, Jan 22
Although many Indian MPs are ready to support a bill ensuring transparency in public life on the lines of recent US legislation that bans senators from accepting gifts and junkets, they say that foreign trips and other freebies should not be banished.

Most parliamentarians IANS spoke to claimed they would back any legislation for probity in public life but argued that the existing rules were adequate to check them from going on useless foreign jaunts. They were unanimous in maintaining that there should be an absolute ban on accepting favors from "vested interests" which might influence them to take any decision that goes against national interests.

"I would support anything that ensures probity in public life," said Manvendra Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP.

Tatagatha Satpathy of the Biju Janata Dal agreed: "I would definitely support such a bill because I feel it is absolutely necessary for the sake of transparency. MPs should not accept such offers."

Although in agreement with his fellow MPs, Jitin Prasada of the Congress was confident the existing rules were enough to check the conduct of parliamentarians.

"In India, before MPs go on foreign jaunts, they have to take permission from the speaker, the external affairs ministry and foreign missions," Prasada pointed out.

"I personally feel that sponsored trips are fine if it benefits both countries. We get to learn lot of things from each other during such trips."

The US Senate last week approved far-reaching legislation aimed at curbing the influence of lobbyists. It banned senators from accepting gifts and trips from individual lobbyists or their organizations.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat said there should be a "closer look at corporate links" and the conflict of interests among MPs.

"We have already demanded that the corporate interests of MPs should be re-defined. There are many ways that the corporates try to increase their influence in politics to get things done," Karat said.

Prasada said there should be a strict no-no to receiving favors or gifts from private parties or any vested interest groups. "I am absolutely against taking any gifts or favours from private groups with vested interests," he maintained.

According to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Devendra Prasad Yadav, Indian MPs, unlike their US Congress counterparts, don't get many junkets.

"MPs mostly manage foreign visits only when parliamentary delegations have to go abroad. And in such a team there cannot be more than five-seven members, and they are nominated by their own parties.

"Therefore the foreign visits are cornered mostly by the bigger parties. The smaller party MPs hardly get a chance to travel," claimed Yadav.

Some MPs said the sponsored trips would give MPs - those who cannot afford a trip abroad or first-timers - an opportunity to increase their knowledge.

Manvendra Singh did not agree.

"There is no link between probity and poverty," he said, adding that the authorities should be cautious about such trips or ensure a strict law against them.

According to Satpathy: "The Indian democratic system is so well entrenched that one person - even if he is brainwashed - alone cannot influence his party's policies or views.

"We have an inbuilt defence system which probably does not exist in the US," said the MP, who also edits the largest circulated Oriya daily 'Dharitri'.

Another MP who did not want to be identified said: "I have been a part of such jaunts. I found them a complete waste of time and energy. I do not enjoy such trips."

According to the Lok Sabha secretariat, there is no separate fund or budget for foreign or domestic travel in the annual allocations for parliament. MPs travel as members of consultative committees of various ministries. However, parliament officials maintain that parliamentary delegations act as the second or backroom channel for diplomacy.

"The government proposes to parliament to host foreign delegations, which is done very lavishly. Sometimes it also suggests that parliamentary delegations be sent abroad to act as an alternate route of diplomacy," an official told IANS.  

IANS News of Jan 22, 2007

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