Political Diary

New Delhi, 20 November 2010

2G Scam: PM In Dock

SILENCE EQUALS CONSENT

By Poonam I Kaushish

Name the word politicians love to erase from memory? Which, like the proverbial bad penny, pops up times out of number. You guessed right, corruption of course, the touchstone of today’s political culture. Even as the public cries for India and looks heaven-ward for respite. In futility, as a story tells us.

Three heads of Government – American, Japanese and Indian – called on the Almighty. The US President spoke first and asked: “Oh, God when will corruption end in my country?” The God replied: “After 50 years.” Said an upset President: “What? It won’t happen during my life-time” – and started crying. The Japanese Prime Minister next asked the Almighty the same question. The latter replied: “Corruption will end in your country after 30 years.” This distressed the Japanese PM also, who averred: “Great pity, it won’t happen in my life-time”. He, too, started crying. Then came the turn of the Indian Prime Minister. He asked: “Hey Bhagwan, when will corruption end in my country?” This time the God himself started crying and replied: “Not in my life-time.”

Laugh all you want at this joke. Alas, one wishes it was so. Yet it only portrays the ugly reality of India today. Of a corrupt system in all its rotten manifestation. Viciously and brutally reinforced last week in the mother of all scams --- the Rs 1760 crore 2G spectrum scandal. When in an unprecedented development on Thursday last, the Supreme Court took the rare step of publicly criticising the Prime Minister and asked for an affidavit within two days to explain his 14-month “inaction and silence” on a petition seeking sanction to prosecute now  disgraced former Union Telecommunication  Minister A Raja. 

Predictably, all hell broke loose. The Opposition cried foul and stalled Parliament demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee even as the Congress formed a protective ring around an embattled Manmohan Singh by stating that he was right in maintaining his counsel, pending the Central Bureau of Investigation probe findings into the matter. The case dates back to 29 November 2008 when Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy sought Manmohan Singh’s permission to prosecute Raja in the 2G scam. After five reminders, Swamy finally got a response from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on 19 March 2010 and another from Raja.

In deference to the Apex Court wishes the PMO filed an 11-page affidavit through its Director averring there was no inaction on the part of the PMO along-with details how various letters written by Swamy had been dealt with and advice sought from the Law Ministry which stated that “the decision of granting sanction for prosecution may be determined only after the perusal of the evidence collected by the CBI and materials provided by the competent authorities.

Significantly, however, the affidavit leaves many key questions unanswered: Why did it take 14 months to reply to Swamy’s letter? Under the Prevention of Corruption Act a decision has to be taken within 90 days. Why were Swamy’s letters forwarded to Raja, the main accused? Why were Raja's dubious actions not annulled and his orders reversed? Why did the prime minister straddle the fence for so long when he was clearly aware of the rule-bending over the 2G spectrum allocation? Why did it take so long for Raja to be sacked from the Cabinet? After all, Union Ministers function at the pleasure of the Prime Minister.

More. Did the Prime Minister turn a blind eye simply because his Government would have been destabilized if the DMK had walked out? Recall, in 2008 a Damocles sword hung over UPA 1 as the CPM had already withdrawn support over the Indo-US nuclear deal and it was at the mercy of Mulayam’s Samajwadi Party. Can compulsions of coalition politics be the cause célèbre of inaction? Also, under the Transaction of Business Rules the Prime Minister has unrestricted right to get any file, any record from any Ministry.  And all decision above Rs 500 crore has to go through the Union Cabinet. 

Undoubtedly, the 2G scandal is the biggest challenge to Manmohan Singh since he became Prime Minister in 2004. How the next few days unfold will be the key to his political survival. True, none doubt his personal honesty and integrity. Nor does anyone disagree that Singh is a good man who has the nation's wellbeing at heart. But often, as an old proverb goes, a good honest man's silence is likely to cause more harm than a bad man's deeds. By letting this scam fester for so long, Manmohan Singh has put his credibility at stake which could prove very costly for him and the Congress.

What next? There are many remedies if one is dead serious Needless to say, the Court’s harsh words and intense attention on the Prime Minister has sent shivers down our corrupt netagan. As it drives home the point that corruption will no longer be tolerated. Wherein our polity cannot evade responsibility for treating the canker of corruption which is gorging into the soul the nation by putting a premium on money power rather than honesty, hard work and merit.

With one scam after another tumbling out of the closet: CWG, Adarsh et al, cosmetic touches like dismissal of minions, inconsequential players and babus along-with finger-pointing and playing the blame game will no longer pass muster. Assertive action that goes to the depth of these despicable deeds followed by appropriate remedial measures to prevent an encore is the need of the hour. For that the Prime Minister must take the lead.

The Prime Minister needs to remember that leadership is not merely an exposition of ones abilities or honesty. Intrinsic to leadership is the ability to enforce and demand the highest standards. As US President Barack Obama said in his address to Parliament, “With increased power comes increased responsibility.” Basic principles of truth and probity cannot be sacrificed at the altar of coalition dharma, precisely what the UPA Government did for almost two years.

After all, Governments are custodians of public trust and interest. The nation and people are first -- way above selfish and narrow political interests. What the people ultimately want is transparency and accountability. Alas, this has so far been only preached ad nauseum but seldom practiced. The top has to be clean to make the lower levels clean. Yatha raja tatha praja.

All in all, the UPA and its leaders, especially Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, are clearly on test. Are they really serious about combating corruption or have they willy nilly decided to surrender shamelessly to horrendous corruption? In case they are serious, it is high time to cut the gangrene. Else, an increasingly agitated and restive public will be justified in concluding that honesty is only a fallacy of imagination and no longer the best policy. The buck stops with you, Mr Prime Minister! ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)