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Coalition Dharma:COMPROMISE ON CORRUPTION, NEVER, by Poonam I Kaushish, 19 Feb, 2011 |
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Political Diary New Delhi, 19 February 2011 Coalition DharmaCOMPROMISE ON CORRUPTION, NEVERBy Poonam I Kaushish Finally, it’s official. Politics has nothing to with morality. Corruption is the flavour of the season where power and sleaze go saath-saath. The new dharma of coalition governance! This my fellow countrymen was the sum total of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh press conference to clear the air on the innumerable scams plaguing his Government last week. Sadly, instead of removing the doubts, he appeared ill at ease, showed his helplessness of a man not fully in control of the situation but unwilling to let go of his chair. Thus, not only did he miss an opportunity to allay fears and provide a new disha of accountability in Government but left a trail of unanswered questions The Prime Minister would have us believe that compulsions of “coalition dharma was the raison d atre of not only turning a Nelson’s eye, tolerating, but also compromising on sleaze in his Government. Lekin meri kuchh majbooriya hai…Coalition politics me bahut kuchh sahna parta hai…." The moot point is: Can one compromise on corruption? Does coalition politics force an indulgence on issues of governance and probity? Is this part of coalition dharma? Do exposés on corruption bring down the levels of national confidence? Or do they increase the level of political-bureaucratic-public accountability? How far should the PM personally take the hit and become the fall guy when his colleagues falter? Given that he is the first among equals. As if on rote, senior Congressmen stepped in to justify Manmohan Singh’s answers. If the choice is between political instability resulting in fresh elections while clamping down on corruption by an ally and reaching a practical and feasible compromise, reconciliation would win hands down. Arguably, it is all very well for the Prime Minister to talk of making compromise due to compulsions of coalition but where was his coalition dharma when he singlehandedly fought for and pushed through the US-India nuclear deal by dumping his Left allies who opposed it. If he could show steadfast resolve and commitment, his ability to take risk and combativeness of a high order, what stopped him now? On the issue of constituting a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Manmohan Singh’s assertion that it was “wrong to say that he was blocking the JPC… I am not afraid of appearing before any committee. As the Prime minister my conduct should be like Caesar's wife, above suspicion", raises more questions. Undoubtedly, none doubt the Prime Minister’s honesty. But it is equally true that he heads the most corrupt Government since Independence. Wherein India resonates to the sounds of Republic of Scams. CWG, 2G spectrum, ISRO, IPL, black money, food et al. He needs to tell the nation on who was against the JPC? What was the Government's role? Why did he allow the entire winter session of Parliament to be washed out? What efforts did he make? True, Singh admitted that he might have made some mistakes, "but I am not as big a culprit as is being made out". Then who is? What prevents him from disclosing the names? Most scandalously, even while admitting that he had received many complaints about Raja from all sides, the Prime Minister first justified his inaction by stating that in 2009 he was not in a position to make up his mind whether Raja was doing something seriously wrong. Next, he virtually tried to justify the 2G spectrum scam by 'comparing' it with the subsidies being given on food-grains, fertilizers and kerosene oil. Said Manmohan Singh, “I was not in a position to insist that auctions must be insisted.” Why? As Prime Minister and as prīmus inter parēs first among equals it is his paramount duty to exercise his Prime Ministerial authority. Especially when a scam was staring everybody in the face. This is not all. It now transpires that the Prime Minister had his facts wrong on having an auction of spectrum. Both the CAG report and the Shivraj Patil report show that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended "multi stage bidding" (auctions) as far back as 2003. All the Prime Minister needed to do was check the facts on the TRAI website. Besides, the TRAI's recommendations are not binding on the Government.
Look at the irony. While the Congress PM along with his Party bosses has taken action against regional partner Southern DMK, mum is the word when it comes to the corrupt practices by its party men. Take the CWG, while minions have been nabbed by the CBI and put behind bars, the OC Chairperson and reported kingpin of sleaze Kalmadi roams scot free? What happened to the promise of taking action in 90 days? Making the Shinglu report public? True, the Opposition has won its battle for a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2G spectrum scam. One hopes they seriously get to unravelling all the dirt and punishing all the perpetrators, no matter how big or small. What concerns us is that it should serve as a clear warning down the rank and file of our polity that frauds and loot will not be tolerated. However the issue does not end there. Neither is it a question of setting up more committees or calling for many reports. Which only end up as raddi in the corridors of power. This is a question of a paradigm shift in how political parties and politicians function. Our leaders need to seriously revisit the issue of coalition dharma and seriously think whether it is in India’s interest to go down that road. The nation cries out for our netagan to affect this paradigm shift. The time is far gone for insipid and lame diatribe of law will take its own course. India needs pro-active action to stem the rot. It’s all very well for the Prime Minister to confess that there is an “ethical deficit and there is a need to improve the quality of governance which India needs.” As also the fact that he is “dead serious” about combating corruption and punishing the guilty. Importantly, we need urgent coarse correction and corrective action. But does the Prime Minister have the grit required to provide such leadership and bell the big fat of corruption? As they say the taste of the pudding is in its eating. Manmohan Singh needs to follow up now with some tough, uncompromising action. Whatever are his compulsions. After all, the buck or muck stops squarely at his doorstep! ---- INFA (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)
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