I didn't authorise pay-offs to win 2008 trust vote: PM

Bhavna Vij Aurora & Mihir Srivastava | New Delhi, March 18, 2011

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said he had not authorised anyone to purchase votes for the contentious 2008 no-confidence motion on the Indo-US nuclear deal, but conceded that the incident showed his government in poor light. "I have no knowledge of these purchase of votes. I am not involved in any of these transactions. I have not authorised anyone," Singh said while making the inaugural keynote address at the 10th India Today Conclave in New Delhi. "The events of the past few days do affect us. Our image at home and abroad has been impacted," Singh said in what appeared to be an indirect reference to the recent corruption issues plaguing the UPA government. In a specific reference to the WikiLeaks cables, Singh refused to comment, saying that the affected people had already commented. The prime minister said he has ordered a thorough review of the country's nuclear installations in the aftermath of the nuclear radiation leak in Japan. "The recent earthquake and tsunami should make us revisit strategies for nuclear safety, learning lessons from these experiences," he said. Speaking on the contentious issue of political parties purchasing votes of the electorate, Singh emphasised on the need for "strong, purposeful, election reforms". "The funding of political parties must become more transparent. We have to root out corruption and clean our system of the malaise that affects our society," he said. To a question on coalition dharma fuelling corruption, the prime minister said he had taken an oath to defend the Constitution and the laws of the country. "Coalition dharma does not mean that I am not in favour of following the Constitution," he said. The prime minister stressed on the need to make democracy meaningful through social democracy. Listing the various social schemes and initiatives of the government, he said: "We are moving towards providing broadband connectivity to all 2,50,000 panchayats so that the modern technology is harnessed for citizens' empowerment." Singh observed that there is a discernable shift in the balance of power to people all over the world. He stressed on the need for democratisation of the world order. "We seek a similar evolution in the international handling of political, security and other issues and the democratisation of institutions like the United Nations Security Council to bring them in line with present realities," Singh said.