Dehradun: Departing from BJP`s official line over the series of alleged scandals swirling around the UPA government, party veteran BC Khanduri on Sunday said resignation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "no solution" to the political stalemate and called for political reforms to root out corruption instead of going for "short-term solutions".
"The Prime Minister`s resignation is no solution. Another will come and the same thing will happen again. We go for short-term solutions, we don`t try to eliminate the root cause of the problems that ail the system," the former Uttarakhand chief minister told a news agency in an interview even as BJP is still insisting for the Prime Minister`s resignation.
Khanduri, who is credited for bringing a strong Lokayukta bill in the hill state, also asked the central government to give immediate clearance to the bill which is pending before President Pranab Mukherjee for final assent.
Noting that the Prime Minister is a good economist, he said he is under intense pressure and was unable to "deliver".
"The pressures of coalition politics hurdle the path to reforms. We must actually stem the rot at its root cause," the former Union road and highways minister said.
Calling for political reforms, he said time has come when the country must adopt a system where there should be some stability like fixed tenures of the government.
"Unstable governments fail to implement their programmes. There should be fixed tenures for governments," he said.
Asked whether this would become counterproductive if a corrupt person becomes prime minister, Khanduri retorted there should be provisions for impeachment like in the US.
Khanduri said, "There must a system where everyone is accountable. There can be safeguards against PM office being disgraced but accountability must be there".
In this regard, he pointed out that political reforms without political stability are not possible.
"We have to change the mindset which makes us look for quick-fix solutions. We have to have patience and strike at the very root of the corrupt system. We need to change our political values fundamentally.”
"Reforms are a must but they are not possible without political stability. Major change will take place only if we are inclined to let the ailing political system heal. This cannot happen overnight," he averred.
On Anna Hazare`s anti-corruption movement, he said the social activist has succeeded in raising relevant issues with conviction but said he must decide his own course.
"He (Hazare) has succeeded in making corruption a national issue. The solution is of course not in sight but at the country is talking about it," he said.
Though evading a direct reply to whether the movement had deviated from its course with Anna`s aides like Arvind Kejriwal deciding to float a new party, Khanduri said they had no choice but to take the plunge as they were not being listened to by those in government.
"None was ready to listen to them. They were being written off as self-proclaimed champions of the civil society. So perhaps they had no other option but to take a political route," he said.
But when asked whether Anna Hazare should also join his aides he emphatically said, "No, I believe Anna should follow his own path."
PTI
