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        Walt Whitman (1819-1892), the great poet of American democracy, referring to the politicians of his time wrote: 'The members who composed it were seven-eighths of them, the meanest kind of bawling and blowing officeholders, office-seekers, pimps, malignants, conspirators, murderers, fancy-men, custom-house clerks, contractors, kept-editors, spaniels well-trained to carry and fetch, jobbers, infidels, disunionists, terrorists, mail-riflers, slave catchers, pushers of slavery, creatures of the President, spies, bribers, compromisers, lobbyers, sponges, ruined sports, expelled gamblers, policy-backers, monte-dealers, duelists, carriers of concealed weapons, deaf men, pimpled men, scarred inside with vile disease, gaudy outside with gold chains made from the people's money and harlots' money twisted together, crawling, serpentine men, the lousy combinings and born freedom-sellers of the earth'.

        These sharp and exact observations of Walt Whitman are completely applicable to the Indian National Congress today under the inspiring leadership not of Mahatma Gandhi but the greatest woman in world history, leave alone the history of India, Madame Sonia Gandhi. 'Sanathana Dharma' is superstitious; 'Sonia Dharma' is scientific and secular. She chooses her Ministers through the Ever-Yes Man called Dr. Manmohan Singh. Her chosen favourite Bharadwaj, the Union Law Minister, has closed the case against Quattrocchi on the command of his Mother Superior who is also the de facto Prime Minister.

        The Prime Minister is the Chief Executive of the government of India. But in actual practice he has been functioning as a liveried pageboy of a Mother Superior de facto Prime Minister who wields draconian powers without an iota of public responsibility. This is the most comic if not the most despicable and dangerous aspect of the so-called UPA government in New Delhi. It is a Government of Mother Superior, by Mother Superior, for Mother Superior for marketing the brand of political chicanery (not Christianity!) emanating from No 10, Janpath in New Delhi.

        The CBI functions not as the Central Bureau of Investigation but as the Central Bureau of Insinuation/Instigation/Intimidation. It can revise its stand on every criminal issue any number of times in one hour in a manner faster than the speed of light.

        In Quattrocchi's case the blinding light emanating from the Sun of de facto Prime Minister, obediently abetted by the Union Law Minister, with or without the blessings of the helpless de jure Prime Minister, has put the Indian nation and its more than 1000 million people in the Hall of Irretrievable Shame. The 'Jo Huzur! Jo Hukham! CBI has now somersaulted and come out with the following statement to protect the the Law Minister and the Prime Minister:

        'The CBI would continue with its investigations to establish whether the two bank accounts in London were in anyway connected with the Bofors payoff case pending against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and the agency would issue further requests to other countries, if required. The agency would continue with the investigation to establish whether the two accounts in London were in anyway connected with the case of conspiracy to cheat, a chargesheet which had been filed in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court against the Italian businessman. The CBI would continue its efforts to trace and connect the money in the two accounts — 5a5151516L and 5a5151516M — with BSIAG Bank London, having three million euros and one million dollars respectively with the alleged payment received by Quattrocchi.

        The CBI would continue to take efforts for pursuing with the execution of the letters rogatory and also sending additional letters rogatory, if required.

        The Law Minister must resign from his post immediately and take full responsibility for the lapse. But he is known for his record of shamelessness as a Union Minister in his official dealings with the Chief Election Commissioner even in the days of Narasimha Rao. No one could possibly expect him to resign his post.

        It is unable to believe that Dr Manmohan could have been unaware of what was happening in his own Law Ministry. The point at issue is not whether he was aware of it or whether he was not aware of it. In this context, the timeless words of a great Prime Minister such as Winston Churchill are absolutely appropriate: 'The position of the Prime Minister is unique: If he trips he must be sustained; If he makes an honest mistake they must be covered; If he sleeps he must not be wantonly disturbed; If he is no good he must be pole-axed'.