Terming charges against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in DDCA case as "very serious", CPI(M) today demanded a thorough probe in the matter and suggested that the senior BJP leader should resign going by his party's "own yardstick".
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said BJP leaders (when in opposition) used to seek resignation of a Minister facing corruption charges, hinting that the same "yardstick" should be applied in the DDCA case as well.
"These allegations are very serious and merit thorough investigation. Whether you conduct the probe through JPC or SIT... We don't object to that. And whoever is found guilty must be punished. We want a probe to be declared.
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"If they stick to their own yardstick that any Minister facing charges of corruption must demit office, then they should do this," Yechury said.
Yechury made the remarks while addressing reporters at an event to release six booklets by the Left party on alleged "toxic concepts and fissiparous practices" of RSS-BJP.
He was accompanied by party politburo members Hannan Mollah and Brinda Karat.
On Juvenile Justice Bill, Yechury maintained that the same should not be linked to the release of juvenile convict in the December 16 gangrape case, as the legislation when enacted cannot be executed in retrospective manner.
The Rajya Sabha member said the nature of crime should be taken into account while enacting the law.
"If you bring down the age of juvenile from below 18 to 16... Just as an example, if another boy who is aged 15 years and 10 months commits similar crime, what will you do? So, age should not be the restriction to define crime... That recommends punishment based on nature of crime committed," he said, adding there is need to develop consensus on the issue.
Yechury said his party will support the bill, but the issue raised needs to be clarified.
On the release of the booklets, Yechury said the same will aid his party's agitation against RSS-BJP's alleged efforts of converting India into a "Hindu Rashtra".
"The manner in which RSS through its political arm, the BJP, is going ahead with the agenda of converting our modern Republic into their version of Hindu Rashtra... The various aspects through which they want to achieve those are covered in these booklets," he said.
The booklets have articles written by intellectuals and academicians on topics like 'RSS, the National Movement and its continuing Communal Agenda', 'Ideological Blinkers of the RSS', 'The RSS and its Beef Politics', 'Neo-liberal Policies and RSS-BJP Combine', 'Assault on Science and History in India' and 'Parliament Debate on Constitution Day and against Intolerance'.
The booklets will be translated and released in all Indian languages, the party said.
Yechury also condemned the alleged police attack on CPI(M) members in Rajasthan's Sikar today and demanded action against cops concerned for the same. "The students were protesting hike in fees, but were brutally attacked and our party office there was also unsettled," he claimed.
