VOA英语2010年-India Parliament Deadlocked Over Corruption

India's parliament ended its winter session deadlocked² over a massive corruption³ scandal. The government and the opposition⁴ disagree over how to investigate the allegations of graft⁵ that have erupted over the sale of telecommunication⁶ spectrum⁷ licenses⁸ two years ago.

When parliament met last month, it was scheduled to take up a host of important bills ranging from land acquisition, labor⁹ laws, to judicial¹⁰ accountability. Instead, its session ended Monday with little accomplished¹¹.

For weeks, opposition lawmakers disrupted parliament, chanting slogans and demanding a joint¹² probe into the controversial sale of telecom spectrum licenses two years ago by former telecommunication minister A. Raja.

The government has turned down the demands. It said the federal investigative agency is already probing allegations that the spectrum was sold at less-than-market-prices resulting in losses of about $39 billion to government revenues.

The government says the minister has resigned, and the Supreme¹³ Court is monitoring the probe. The opposition, though, says it has no faith in the investigation¹⁴ by the government agency.

Even though the parliament session is over, it has not given up on its demands for a parliamentary probe. The leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the lower house of parliament, Sushma Swaraj, participated in a "sit-in" outside parliament. "Now, we are taking this issue to the streets, today it was the beginning."

An equally determined¹⁵ government has indicated it will not bend to the opposition demands.

As the political deadlock¹ persists, concerns have been expressed that the impasse¹⁶ will impact democratic functioning.

The director of PRS Legislative¹⁷ Research, C.V. Madhukar, said the disruption of parliament presented a sorry picture.

"Several important policy proposals of the government have been delayed for some time until parliament convenes¹⁸ starting in February," said Madhukar. "From parliament's standpoint, it is disappointing that the ruling party and opposition parties have not been able to come together. My hope is that they will find a solution."????

But the opposition is unapologetic. Lal Krishna Advani, a top leader of the opposition BJP, said, "Business not proceeding¹⁹ also yields results."

Disrupting parliament is an old strategy with opposition parties to pressure the government. It has seldom lasted the entire length of a parliament session. But with the government defending itself against charges of corruption, the opposition is not likely to relent. The telecom scandal is the biggest in a series of corruption scandals that have erupted in recent months.

1 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

2 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

6 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

7 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

8 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

11 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

16 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

17 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

18 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

19 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。