India's Gandhi seeks 'stringent' action on graft

NEW DELHI: Indian politician Rahul Gandhi, widely seen as a prime minister-in-waiting, on Saturday demanded "stringent" action against corruption amid a wave of scandals that have jolted the country.

A series of graft scandals erupted last year, including a massive telecoms licences scam that has undermined Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as allegations of widespread corruption related to the Commonwealth Games.

"Stringent action against corruption is needed. Punishment should be within six months, instead of 20 years," Gandhi told reporters in Aurangab in the western state of Maharashtra, according to the Press Trust of India.

"Corruption is a serious issue," he said. "We have to see that the symptoms do not spread."

Gandhi also urged that billions of dollars in untaxed private and business money, known in India as "black money," held in overseas bank accounts should be brought back to the country.

"I think we should put as much efforts as possible to ensure that what is Indian money, what is the money of the poor people of India, comes back," he said.

Gandhi has long been viewed as a premier-in-waiting, and Prime Minister Singh hinted to reporters last year that he could one day step down in favour of the 40-year-old politician. He is the son of late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and grandson of assassinated premier Indira Gandhi.

Estimates for the amount of illicit money stashed secretly in overseas bank accounts by wealthy Indians and corporations range from $500 billion to $1.4 trillion.

The Supreme Court recently condemned what it described as the "mind-boggling plunder" of the nation's wealth by tax evaders.

The Congress party-led government says it is hamstrung by legal restrictions in recovering the money. It says international agreements and other legal hurdles prevent it from exposing the identity of Indian tax evaders.!

Gandhi's comments came a day ahead of a planned demonstration in 60 Indian cities called the "India March Against Corruption."

Organisers are hoping thousands of people will turn out for Sunday's march which will be held in the main cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and other centres.