Political Diary
New Delhi, 27 April 2013
CBI Spills Beans
GOVT WALKING ON HOT
COAL
By Poonam I Kaushish
Political Delhi
continues to suffer from the Rs 1.86 lakh crores Coalgate gripes. Whereby, a
fresh blast of coal dust has hit the UPA. Thanks to CBI Director Ranjit Sinha's
bombshell to the Supreme Court in his affidavit that the agency's status report
was “shared” with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, two joint secretaries in the PM's
Office and Coal Ministry “as desired by them” before it was given to the
judges. Leaving the Government walking on hot coal suspended over a deep pit!
Importantly, the CBI Chief’s submission not only countered
the earlier assurance given by CBI counsel Additional Solicitor General Raval
but has gifted more ammunition to the
Opposition to thwart the latter half of Parliament’s Budget session. While the BJP is demanding
Manmohan Singh and Kumar’s scalp, Manmohan Singh and an adamant and aggressive
Sonia Gandhi will hear nothing of it.
Either which way, the damage to Manmohan Singh’s pristine
clean image has been done. True, none doubt his personal honesty, but
undeniably Sinha’s confession has squarely reached the Prime Minister’s and his
Office’s door given Kumar’s closeness to his family. Whereby, the UPA is caught
between a rock and hard place as the buck stops with Manmohan Singh and through
him Sonia’s door.
Specially, against the backdrop that not only was he heading
the Coal Ministry for some time when the scam happened but also because most of
the 142 coal fields allocated between 2004 and 2009 were given at undervalued
rates instead of using auction route to favoured private parties who instead of
extracting coal sat tight (only 28 of 86 captive coal blocks produced coal)
thereby causing the national exchequer a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores!
Sonia’s fear stems from the likelihood that if the Prime
Minister is implicated it would impliedly nail her as he was “her man”.
Reportedly, the modus operandi was simple: Favoured private firms first
negotiated a price with the High Command, paid up and then mines allotted to
them.
Scandalously, the list reads like a virtual who’s who of the rich and
powerful. Ex- Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay's brother was allocated
two coal blocks, following his letter to the Prime Minister ‘recommending’ his
family’s company, two Congress MPs-industrialist Navin Jindal and Vijay
Darda both grabbed coal blocks. A five-day-old company headed by former DMK’s
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting S Jagathrakshakan was
awarded a coal block in 2007. Similarly, IST Steel and Power, a spanking-new
outfit owned by former RJD’s Union Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand
Gupta's sons received a coal block in Maharashtra.
Pertinently, since the last two years, the Supreme Court is
supervising Coalgate and had made clear that the CBI only report to it.
Questionably, why were officials of PMO and the Coal Ministry present? Was
Kumar merely correcting the CBI’s English?
The UPA’s fear stems from three reasons. One, it is scared
of an email trail between the PMO, Coal and Law Ministries. Two, a
whistle-blower might further expose the Government’s misdemeanour. Whereby, a
copy of the draft report with corrections made by Kumar in his hand-writing
could be circulating. Three, the Law Minister infamous for his obduracy could
have rubbed Sinha the wrong way by questioning his legal prowess leading to
heated exchanges.
Besides, the Government's defence that it only saw the
“draft” and not the “final” report" is feeble. Only when a draft is seen and
changes made that a final report is prepared. Why show the CBI show the
Government the final report when it is prepared according to changes suggested
by the powers-that-be?
At another level, irrespective of the Apex Court’s verdict today, the moot
point is: Will Sinha’s disclosure be the game changer in the way the CBI is
perceived? A la TN Seshan who showed
the power of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission in the
1990’s. Will it help redeem the CBI’s image of being a handmaiden of the
Government to dance to its tune?
True one swallow does not make a summer. Given that the
investigative agency has adopted a brazenly opportunistic policy of playing
safe with Governments of the day and its willingness to go along with its
political mai-baaps "shoot and
scoot" corruption charges designed to mar reputations only which are
rarely brought to closure.
See how the Bofors scam, a pittance in today’s mind-boggling
crores scam, was scuttled. At the end no body was any wiser where the Rs 64
crores went. Never Mind it cost the late Rajiv Gandhi his Prime Ministership.
In 1996 the CBI registered a case against Lalu Yadav and filed a chargesheet in
March 2003, in the Rs 6000 crores chara ghotala
but put it in cold storage after UPA-I took office in May 2004. It was only
last March the CBI court finally framed charges against Lalu after the Supreme
Court stepped in.
Ditto the blow-hot-blow-cold treatment meted out to
Samajwadi’s Mulayam and BSP’s Bhenji Mayawati
in their respective disproportionate asset cases. With the CBI’s investigative
pendulum swinging between Yes and No depending on whether the Government of the
day needs their “services” and how badly. Contrast this long hiatus with the
alacrity with which the CBI acts against ordinary citizens.
All in all, the damage to the Government is enormous. Kudos
to Sinha for being honest to himself, Court and the agency he heads. Specially
against the backdrop of eye-popping scams becoming public thanks to a vigilant
CAG, RTI law, civil society and 24/7 electronic media. Today, a Government
controlled CBI does more disservice to its political masters than good.
Resulting in the cacophony of tarnishing the entire political class per se as sab chor hai, notwithstanding
those clean.
The way forward is to make the agency independent and
autonomous. Whereby, the CBI alone has the power to decide if it should appeal
any case. Also, the agency must have its own cadre of officials who should
carry no political baggage. But this requires clear and firm political will. India needs a
sleek CBI that acts without favours and prejudice.
In sum, our leaders must desist from playing further havoc
and converting the CBI into a “Central Bureau of convenience, connivance and
corruption.” At the end the day, are we going to mortgage our conscience to
corrupt and tainted leaders? Remember, democracy is not competition in
Constitutional indecency and impropriety.
India is too precious to be lost in
labyrinth of brazen ‘democracy by concessions and politics of direct sale’. It
remains to be seen if the law will catch up with our polity and prove to be
their nemesis? We can survive without our tooth paste netas! --- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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