OPINION
PM vis-à-vis CVC/ PJT
Prime Minister Dr. Sardar Manmohan Singh, is the most qualified Prime Minister, any country in the world had. There are no two opinions about it. There are many admirable qualities he has. His demeanour is mild, he speaks softly. If you are in agreement with his views and actions, he is a very good boss. But during all these years, close to 7 years as the prime minister of worlds largest democracy, with greatest number of malnourished, hungry and illiterate population in the world, his style of functioning has been a subject of debate, criticism and derision in the Pan India media-both print and electronic.
He was a reluctant politician, but over the years he did display his ability at playing politically savvy cards and he also perfected his skill in remaining detached to the visible upheavals around his PMO and PMship. Thus he has reportedly once stated “I have a job to be completed hence I will not quit”, when asked why is he continuing in his job when his writ does not run. We all know that he works under tremendous pressure of coalition politics and pressure from his party colleagues and party hierarchy, besides of course that of party interest. Most people would have resigned after a series of events taking place which were apparently not to his liking, but had to go along for reasons best known to him, besides of course “he has a job to do”.
Looking back in perspective of the last over 6 decades of India as a free country, we are all aware of the tremendous progress we have made. Although we are not ready for the Super Power Status, we are entitled to dream, because of the partial and one sided progress that we have achieved. We are being recognised globally for our regional clout as an economic and scientific power house. But we are also aware that our economic development has been rather badly one sided. While we have a householder who owns a house worth $ 1 billion in Mumbai, we also have over 500 millions Indians still defecating in public without the privacy of a toilet. Yes we are close to 1200 million. It may be true that 700 million may be having decent living, but if over 40% of our population have been deceived of the developmental dividends, isn’t our growth iniquitous? We have huge developmental outlays but unfortunately these outlays are stymied by equally huge scams, of hundreds and thousands of crores. The Rajeev Gandhi arithmetic still holds good, of 15 paise reaching the target and 85 paise getting lost in transit. Thus corruption is the single biggest enemy of the equity in development. And fortunately the Prime Minister is fully aware of this and has expressed his serious concern. Just the other day, while speaking to State Chief Secretaries in New Delhi he had stated “Corruption dents India’s image, hampers good governance and needs to be tackled boldly and quickly”. Of course it is another matter, that he is neither quick nor bold and his 7 years stint has proved it.
While there are many dimensions to our problem of governance, the gargantuan issue of corruption takes the cake.
Prime Minister Dr. Sardar Manmohan Singh, is the most qualified Prime Minister, any country in the world had. There are no two opinions about it. There are many admirable qualities he has. His demeanour is mild, he speaks softly. If you are in agreement with his views and actions, he is a very good boss. But during all these years, close to 7 years as the prime minister of worlds largest democracy, with greatest number of malnourished, hungry and illiterate population in the world, his style of functioning has been a subject of debate, criticism and derision in the Pan India media-both print and electronic.
He was a reluctant politician, but over the years he did display his ability at playing politically savvy cards and he also perfected his skill in remaining detached to the visible upheavals around his PMO and PMship. Thus he has reportedly once stated “I have a job to be completed hence I will not quit”, when asked why is he continuing in his job when his writ does not run. We all know that he works under tremendous pressure of coalition politics and pressure from his party colleagues and party hierarchy, besides of course that of party interest. Most people would have resigned after a series of events taking place which were apparently not to his liking, but had to go along for reasons best known to him, besides of course “he has a job to do”.
Looking back in perspective of the last over 6 decades of India as a free country, we are all aware of the tremendous progress we have made. Although we are not ready for the Super Power Status, we are entitled to dream, because of the partial and one sided progress that we have achieved. We are being recognised globally for our regional clout as an economic and scientific power house. But we are also aware that our economic development has been rather badly one sided. While we have a householder who owns a house worth $ 1 billion in Mumbai, we also have over 500 millions Indians still defecating in public without the privacy of a toilet. Yes we are close to 1200 million. It may be true that 700 million may be having decent living, but if over 40% of our population have been deceived of the developmental dividends, isn’t our growth iniquitous? We have huge developmental outlays but unfortunately these outlays are stymied by equally huge scams, of hundreds and thousands of crores. The Rajeev Gandhi arithmetic still holds good, of 15 paise reaching the target and 85 paise getting lost in transit. Thus corruption is the single biggest enemy of the equity in development. And fortunately the Prime Minister is fully aware of this and has expressed his serious concern. Just the other day, while speaking to State Chief Secretaries in New Delhi he had stated “Corruption dents India’s image, hampers good governance and needs to be tackled boldly and quickly”. Of course it is another matter, that he is neither quick nor bold and his 7 years stint has proved it.
While there are many dimensions to our problem of governance, the gargantuan issue of corruption takes the cake.
Among the human emotions, it is generally accepted that “fear is the most powerful of all emotions”. But corruption flourishes because of greed more greed and uncontrolled greed. In Indian conditions it has grown into uncontrollable proportion. Why? It is only because there is no fear of the law taking, its course, despite assertion by no less a person than the prime minister, to act, ‘quickly and boldly’. Yes, as the prime minister has stated, if there are quick and bold actions, the cancer of corruption would not be as bad as is evident, all over the country. We are all privy to the goings on all across the national spectrum in recent times, with skeletons of all kinds falling off the cupboard of all kinds of people, with administration and law enforcing authorities dragging its feet to take 'quick and bold’ action. All these ‘bold and quick’ actions would drive fear into the minds of people, whatever the persons status. There is a justifiable feeling among the ordinary Indians that law is there only for the powerless and moneyless, and the powerful end up buying the system itself. Although very belated, arrest of former minister Raja has had its ripple effects. But the only worry is, was this ‘too little too late’. Now lets come to this CVC/PJT imbroglio. This blue eyed boy of PM/HM combine, with some behind the scene God father/ God mother, was a non-descript secretary in Kerala Govt. of the then Chief Minister late K.Karunakaran (KK). The wily politician, Karunakaran was known as the greatest machinist in contemporary politics. During his tenure as CM, this now infamous Palmolein Oil import took place. Whole of Kerala is privy to the scandal. Based on complaint, a chargesheet was filed in 2000 against KK and eight others including PJT, who was the Food Secretary in the KK cabinet. The charge was that import was at a higher price, than the prevailing international price at that time and therefore it has caused loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer and therefore to the nation. Since there was no element of fear in our legal system, the case dragged in the designated CBI court in Kerala, and the Supreme Court in its wisdom stayed the proceedings in Aug 2007. The inexorable time caught up with K.Karunakaran and on 23rd Dec. 2010, he passed away and paved the way for the Kerala’s LEFT Government to move the Supreme Court to vacate the stay. So the case has again come alive. In the meanwhile life moved on, so has PJT. He became Kerala, Chief Secretary, then Telecom Secretary and of course the Crème de la crème position of CVC. The last one was that of the Anti Corruption Czar, gifted by the agenda driven UPA bosses.
Of course good part of Indians would never have known much about the Palmolein Oil Import Scandals or this PJT, but for this high profile CVC appointment.
Power corrupts, they say. But they also say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is how, an arrogant UPA government forced this tainted PJT as the CVC, down the throat of an unsuspecting nation. “Mr Thomas choice was downright tendentious. It was made only to prove the point that ultimately it is the ruling clique that prevails in such matters, whatever noise the opposition may generate in protest” said R K Raghavan, the former CBI director. For good measure he had added “Persons in the background who constitute extra-constitutional centres of power, who may have driven hard to bring in Mr Thomas, must be squirming in their seats”.
Now you have this Supreme Court judgement, which set aside the appointment of CVC, for reasons best known to everybody that PJT was not the one with ‘impeccable integrity’ and that “there is a pending chargesheet in a CBI court”. But for the nation’s misfortune, both the Prime Minister and the federal Home Minister, both very learned and admired for their intelligence and competence, decided to ignore the fundamentals of any appointment, let alone a constitutionally very important appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner. They kept on defending the obviously indefensible in the face of nationwide ridicule.
What makes this case a singularly in bad taste, is the steamrolling of the opposition view, which was patently uncivil, especially when the gentlemen who forced it were of absolute pre-eminence in the ruling clique. It will probably go down as the most infamous decision of UPA outfit at centre.
How and why they did it and reduced themselves as a laughing stock shall remain a story for celluloid blockbuster a la James Bond 007 espionage.
Of course good part of Indians would never have known much about the Palmolein Oil Import Scandals or this PJT, but for this high profile CVC appointment.
Power corrupts, they say. But they also say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is how, an arrogant UPA government forced this tainted PJT as the CVC, down the throat of an unsuspecting nation. “Mr Thomas choice was downright tendentious. It was made only to prove the point that ultimately it is the ruling clique that prevails in such matters, whatever noise the opposition may generate in protest” said R K Raghavan, the former CBI director. For good measure he had added “Persons in the background who constitute extra-constitutional centres of power, who may have driven hard to bring in Mr Thomas, must be squirming in their seats”.
Now you have this Supreme Court judgement, which set aside the appointment of CVC, for reasons best known to everybody that PJT was not the one with ‘impeccable integrity’ and that “there is a pending chargesheet in a CBI court”. But for the nation’s misfortune, both the Prime Minister and the federal Home Minister, both very learned and admired for their intelligence and competence, decided to ignore the fundamentals of any appointment, let alone a constitutionally very important appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner. They kept on defending the obviously indefensible in the face of nationwide ridicule.
What makes this case a singularly in bad taste, is the steamrolling of the opposition view, which was patently uncivil, especially when the gentlemen who forced it were of absolute pre-eminence in the ruling clique. It will probably go down as the most infamous decision of UPA outfit at centre.
How and why they did it and reduced themselves as a laughing stock shall remain a story for celluloid blockbuster a la James Bond 007 espionage.
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