Probity the theme at UPA bash

With the DMK hurt over the arrest of its party chiefs daughter Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum scam,the party had decided to have only a token presence at the celebration,with all its six Union ministers absent. In a bid to assuage DMK feelings,Baalu was seated next to Sonia at the release of the report card and with the Prime Minister at the dinner table.

The other alliance partners,including the Nationalist Congress Party,National Conference and Trinamool Congress,too were seated at the Prime Ministers dinner table in order of their importance in the coalition,sharing the space with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Significantly,also seated there was Samajwadi Party representative and Lok Sabha MP Mohan Singh. Conceding that developments in 2G,CWG and Adarsh cases in the past few months had put the focus on corruption in public life and even led concerned citizens to worry about the state of governance and the pervasiveness of corruption,the Prime Minister admitted the concerns were justified.

These are legitimate concerns and the UPA government is determined to take corrective action, he said in a brief speech.

Speaking to reporters later,he underscored that there was no need for his government to be apologetic while dealing with corruption. There is no question of being demoralised. We are determined to fight it, he said.

Supplementing the Prime Ministers contention,Sonia said that transparency,accountability and probity are at the very heart of our governance.

Sonia also used the occasion to send a message of solidarity to alliance partners,especially the Trinamool Congress,whom she congratulated once again for the spectacular victory in West Bengal.

The Congress president said though the message of the recent Assembly election results was specific to each state,there was a common thread of effective and accountable governance being rewarded.

The Prime Minister sought to take the credit,however modestly,for steering the country with an unprecedented growth rate of 8.5 per cent even in the face of the grave financial crisis and slowdown in the world economy. He said his government had pursued a strategy of inclusive growth at home and inclusive globalisation internationally to benefit the poor and reduce disparity.

Our policies have aimed to empower,socially,educationally and economically,the weaker sections of our society, Singh said,adding that India was now standing at the cusp of new opportunities and new challenges.

One of those challenges was Indo-Pak ties,and Singh claimed that despite the irritants,there was progress. Our ties with Pakistan have shown signs of improvement. But I admit that the relationship has been prone to accident, he said.

About a Cabinet reshuffle,the Prime Minister said he had promised he would undertake the same before the Monsoon Session of Parliament. You all will hear about it when it takes place.

The 74-page report of UPA II presented achievements in various fields. Asserting that the document was part of the UPAs accountability and transparency initiative,the Prime Minister invited the people to read it and judge the government by its performance. Our record is an open book, he said.