Time to dissolve Parliament, says ex-Army chief

With anna Says govt driven by market, neo-liberal policies; helping pvt profit.

Previous Army chief Gen (retd) V K Singh formally joined hands with activist Anna Hazare Monday and demanded the immediate dissolution of Parliament and fresh elections saying the government was "not following the constitution".

Singh, who has been seen at Hazare's campaigns after retiring in May, said his "experiences" while traveling across the country over the years had caused him to identify with Hazare's fight against corruption.

"The issue is not V K Singh here. The issue is the fight against corruption. My experiences touring the country over the years have led me to join this movement," he said. He denied that the controversy over his birth date had anything to do with his stance.

Jointly addressing the media with Hazare, the former Army chief said the two of them had discussed governance in the country at present, and concluded that people had the right to overthrow a government in a democracy if it was found to be inadequate.

"The government today, instead of being a welfare state, is being driven by market forces and is imposing neo-liberal policies on people. It is not concerned about the well-being of common people but is instead functioning to help private companies make profits. Not even a single member of Parliament has cared to raise this issue," said Singh.

"In the midst of corruption and scams, the general public has lost all trust in Parliament. Our parliamentarians are silent on bringing back the black money lying in banks abroad. The new government should get this money back in the country," Singh said.

He also criticised the UPA saying its economic reform measures announced in recent weeks such as allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, limiting LPG subsidies and raising the price of diesel only hurt people. "UPA-2 has taken these decisions without the support of the other parties in the coalition," Singh said.

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