Indian Parliament at a standstill

India: Opposition parties in India announced Monday they would continue boycotting Parliament to demand the creation of a legislative commission to investigate a corruption scandal at the highest levels of Government.

The announcement was made Monday after the failure of a meeting called by the ruling Congress Party in a bid to stop the boycott, which has brought the winter parliamentary session to a halt. Parliament should have begun meeting on November 9. According to the IANS news agency, the opposition led by the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party did not accept the government's proposal to grant more powers to the Public Accounting Committee.

The commmittee is investigating the fraud committed in the granting of licences for second generation (2G) mobile telephony in 2008. According to accusations against Telecommunications Minister A Raja, who has resigned, the sale of those rights at ridiculously low prices signified US$ 4 billion in losses for the State.

Another Government scandal is linked to alleged acts of corruption during the organization of the Commonwealth Games. The investigation still underway led to the arrest of at least three members of the event's organizing committee.

New Delhi, Prensa Latina