Dr. O. P. Sudrania
Dr. M M Singh is virtual Prime Minister of India as a head of UPA II coalition partners since they came back in power in 2009 elections. But the decision making force lives in 10, Janpath where the UPA Chairperson viz. Ms Sonia Gandhi lives and everybody has to flock to her for each issue. During the first tenure of UPA I after 2004, initially he (MMS) was watched for his performance and thus followed the orgy of loot and pillage apprized with his mettle. Obviously DMK saw great opportunity of making hay before the sun sets. A young South Indian dalit leader four times MP and been Minister in various capacities did show his mettle beyond imagination of what they call it an Indian Watergate scandal. Unfortunately this is not the first or last in its right.
“Watergate has entered the political lexicon as a term synonymous with corruption and scandal, yet the Watergate Hotel is one of Washington’s plushest hotels. Even today, it is home to former Senator Bob Dole and was once the place where Monica Lewinsky laid low. It was here that the Watergate Burglars broke into the Democratic Party’s National Committee offices on June 17, 1972. If it had not been for the alert actions of Frank Wills, a security guard, the scandal may never have erupted.”
Even though he (Nixon) was reelected in January 1973 after the breaking out of the scandal in 1972, he ultimately had to resign on 8/9 August 1974 following impeachment proceedings alongwith the Supreme Court order. It was not easy as Nixon was no superhuman. One Watergate led to fall of US President, India has faced one scandal after another that has shamed the US Watergate many times more, yet its PM is still holding his head steadfast without any remorse and repentance. Nothing seems to deter or persuade him. Head doesn’t roll but heads rolled sardonically.
Ashok Bagriya wrote on Nov 20, 2010 at 11:21pm IST in CNN-IBN:
“PM’s affidavit to SC explains his alleged inaction and silence over Subramaniam Swamy’s petition in 2G scam.” He further continues:
“Various letters written by Swamy — from the first in November 29, 2008 to the last in October 2010 — have been dealt with in accordance with the procedure in the PMO, the affidavit said.
The affidavit has given in detail how various letters written by Swamy since November 29, 2008 to October 5, 2010 have been dealt with by the Prime Minister’s office and advice sought from the Law Ministry.” This is at best the example of delay for denying justice technique. Nothing could move the Mr. Honest Prime Minister until the Supreme Court of India made shameful admission and interference by cancelling the 2 G allocations leading to widespread infamy that involved a lot of international players and its resulting disastrous loss of credibility. However it still hasn’t proved their nemesis, neither for UPA nor for their satrap PM MM Singh. Wishing against the wish, India Today observed enthusiastically on October 2, 2011, “If the 2G scam is the UPA-II’s nemesis, it is because of Swamy.”
“”Who got the licences… how FCFS was implemented…this was never discussed with me nor was it brought to the Cabinet. This was exclusively Telecom Minister’s decision,” Singh said in an interaction with the editors from the electronic media. (Watch: Prime Minister’s Q&A with Editors)” NDTV wrote and continued further on February 16, 2011 14:39 IST:
“The government’s auditor CAG had estimated a presumptive loss of up to Rs. 1.76 lakh crore due to sale of spectrum in 2008 at 2001 prices. (Read: What is 2G spectrum scam?)
This had forced Raja to resign from the Union Cabinet in November last year and was followed by his arrest on spectrum 2G scam charges subsequently. (Read: Who is A Raja?)”
On an excuse of coalition dharma (watch a video) of forming a government, MM Singh gives his (un)pardonable excuse of rapacious glib explanation, “On retaining Raja as the Telecom Minister in the UPA-II, the Prime Minister said in a coalition government, the choices of the leaders of the alliance partners have to be accepted and that the DMK had suggested Raja and Dayanidhi Maran for the Union Cabinet.”
Mr Singh is pretending himself as indispensable like our late Chacha Nehru who had succeeded in creating an aura around him, “Who after Nehru (1, 2, 3, 4)”? 1964 on, India is still running strong but who will convince our proxy Prime Minister (inefficient)? Why does he have to continue if the wheels are not moving at a desired pace? Is holding on a job is above the individual priority of integrity and pride of the nation?
“At that moment, there was no reason to feel that anything wrong had been done”, the Prime Minister said. It seems that the word ‘wrong’ needs to be redefined!
Despite all these brouhaha in the media, which also led to subsequent arrest of several persons, ministers, bureaucrats, industrialists with indicting of several media personalities, yet The Prime Minister remained unfuzzled and unfudged.
Mr A. Raja was arrested by CBI on 2 February 2011; On 9 May 2012 he applied for bail for the first time since his arrest and was granted bail on 15 May 2012. Besides Raja, M K Kanimozhi (daughter of DMK supremo Karunanidhi); bureaucrats like Siddharth Behura, R K Chandolia; corporates like Sanjay Chandra, Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair, Surendra Pipara, Vinod Goenka, Shahid Balwa, Asif Balwa (younger brother of Shahid Balwa), Rajiv Agrawal, Sharat Kumar, Ravi Ruia, Anshuman Ruia, Vikas Saraf, I P Khaitan, Kiran Khaitan; film and entertainment personalities like Karim Morani; corporations involved were like Unitech Wireless, Reliance Telecom, Swan Telecom. Other companies named in the chargesheet are: Loop Telecom Pvt Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd, Essar Tele Holding, Essar (Parent group of Essar Tele Holding).
For the first time in India since 1947, a very unthinkable role of media personalities was made publicly known undermining the very foundation of its so called fourth pillar of democracy.
“Media sources such as OPEN and Outlook reported that two senior journalists Barkha Dutt (group editor of NDTV) and Vir Sanghvi (editorial director of Hindustan Times) knew that corporate lobbyist Nira Radia was influencing the decisions of appointment of telecom minister. Radia wanted A Raja to be appointed as the telecom minister. The two magazines made public the telephone conversations between Nira Radia, Barkha Dutt & Vir Sanghvi. Radia’s phones were being tapped by the Income Tax Department. Critics allege that Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi knew about the nexus between the government and the media industry but still they supported this corrupt activity and suppressed news reporting the discovery of the corrupt practice.” Wikipedia details elaborately
Raja must have his point to dare say, “Jailed former telecom minister A Raja Tuesday told a Delhi court that he would get Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, then finance minister P Chidambaram and present telecom minister Kapil Sibal summoned as witnesses to prove government did not incur any loss in the 2G allocation.” live mint reported on Wed, Aug 24 2011. 01 21 PM IST
Now The Hindu broke the ice further where Shalini Singh boldly asserted in her multiple columns that Prime Minister was definitely aware of Raja’s conduct. “New papers show PMO analysed and agreed with Raja’s actions before 2G scam”; “Will Manmohan distance himself from PMO officials as he did from Raja?” This story was carried in other media also, 1, 2. Even in the midst of all this PMO kept issuing denials (1, 2) instead of Mr Singh reacting to shave his dignified exit.
How much more evidence does an Indian Mr Clean Prime Minister need to accede and join Mr Richard Milhous Nixon to go away even after so much of indignity, public outrage giving rise to NGOs like India Against Corruption, Aam Aadmi Party led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal.
If one shame couldn’t inspire to relinquish the lust of power and chair, could even bigger scam of smouldering “Coalgate” do the trick? This is a big question. Firstpost described it, “…the CAG’s draft report that the government has lost Rs. 10.7 lakh crore by not auctioning coal.”
Can Indian lawmakers act to enact similar impeachment proceedings on the Western module to try to get rid of their indolent dishonest leaders? It is time to think seriously, but unlike the Lokpal Bill!