AP House adopts resolution towards creating a graft-free state

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to take all possible measures to create a corruption-free India and eradicate the menace of black money.

The state government, in the resolution adopted unanimously by the Assembly, promised to take all necessary measures to create a corruption-free AP and provide full support to the Government of India to eradicate black money.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who moved the resolution, welcomed Narendra Modi government’s initiatives in  this regard and also suggested that the Centre should usher in economic, political and administrative reforms.

“In his first Cabinet meeting itself, Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a Special Investigation Team on black money. On Tuesday, the Centre has written to the Swiss government seeking names of those holding bank accounts in that country. This is a decisive action by the Modi government,” the Chief Minister said.

The previous Congress-led UPA government never acted on black money as it was steeped in corruption.

“The Congress and the UPA government were steeped in corruption. They encouraged corruption and allowed black money to become a parallel economy,” Chandrababu pointed out.

Corrupt people were stashing their money in tax haven countries while poor people in India were suffering from hunger. For some money has become an object of greed and lust, he remarked.

Even a nation-wide people’s movement led by Anna Hazare could not move the then UPA government, he said.

“As the then Leader of Opposition, I took part in the agitation against black money and corruption,” Chandrababu recalled.

Against this backdrop, Modi government’s initiatives should be welcomed whole-heartedly, the CM told the Assembly. Otherwise, poverty eradication would not be possible, he added.

Besides bringing black money back, the Centre should also initiate economic, political and administrative reforms.

“If required, currency notes of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denominations should be banned. The US has already banned higher denomination currency,” the Chief Minister said.

Black money and corruption could be controlled if all monetary transactions were made compulsory only through banks, he added.

Asserting that seeing a corruption-free India was the Telugu Desam Party’s ultimate objective, he said they would continue the fight in this regard.

“We will bring in laws in this regard and take every step to root out corruption,” Chandrababu vowed.

Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy also welcomed the resolution following which it was adopted by the House unanimously.

-PTI