Anti-corruption protests hit India's parliament

A series of high-profile scandals has eroded trust and stymied policymaking in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's administration in recent months.

The opposition also staged a protest inside parliament forcing its closure at a time when it is slated to introduce reform legislation including one on easier land acquisitions.

The protests came on the same day as a nationwide survey published in a newspaper said a majority of Indians see their civil servants and lawmakers as the most corrupt groups in the country, comfortably beating business leaders.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents saw Singh's government as "very corrupt" or "somewhat corrupt", while many said his coalition's handling of anti-graft movements was "insincere".

Demonstrators led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made speeches and shouted slogans in front of police barricades outside parliament.

They accused the ruling Congress party of double-standards for failing to sack the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit over graft allegations in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

"Why are they covering up corruption?" the BJP's President Nitin Gadkari said in a speech.

A poll by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies published in The Hindu newspaper ranked politicians as the most corrupt group with 43 percent, in a list which also included judges and bureaucrats.

Only 3 percent saw business people as the most corrupt, despite the fact that executives have been arrested or questioned by police in connection with graft scandals.

"A spate of corruption scandals in high places, accentuated by high-profile anti-corruption movements, have taken a toll on the government's image, especially among the more educated and articulate sections," the Hindu newspaper wrote on Tuesday, commenting on the survey.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011

Copyright Reuters, 2011