Country passing through crisis due to lack of leadership:Katju

"The country is passing through crisis due to lack of leadership... There is absence of good leadership with vision and integrity," he told a function here.

"Lagta hai choron ka mulk hai...Charo taraf loot machi hai (It seems we have become a country of thieves and loot is taking place all around)," the PCI chairman said.

The credibility of political leaders has suffered a severe dent, he said, adding scam was following scam and there was a general mood of cynicism against the political class due to prevalence of corruption.

There was a time when the leaders commanded respect of the people for qualities like integrity, commitment and leadership, he said while recalling Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr B C Roy.

"But today's leaders lack vision and leadership," he said.

Katju said that country was sitting on the tip of a volcano and referred to disgust among the people against "corruption, scams and degeneration of the political system.

"If the political class does not change its ways, then a bad situation will greet them sooner than later," he said.