The dictionary does not define a ‘blue-collar crime’, though by implication it can be taken to mean crime, petty or otherwise, committed by lumpen elements. But there is copious reference to white-collar crimes which means ‘crimes committed by people who work in offices, and involves stealing money secretly from companies or the government, or getting money in an illegal way’. ‘Corruption’, the most popular word in political parlance is ‘dishonest and illegal behaviour by people in positions of authority or power’.
But all that is passe and pales before what’s on parade. Rather, it is time we invented a wholly new word or phrase, and a collar too, that would aptly cover the clandestine and covert, but ingenious actions of the likes of Natwar Singh, the Congress party and its one and only Indian made foreign leader, IMFL for short, et al, that transcend all limits of morality as also national frontiers. And all this when the Congress was not even in power! The crime is compounded and even sounds comic if we were to wonder what kind of ‘truth’ will come out when the accused themselves are also the adjudicators now!
But then, that has always been the case with political corruption; reason why hardly any politician gets to meet his nemesis on that count. They are all comrades-in-arms, brooking and breeding one another. And with coalitions becoming the order of the day, and ideology gone on a long holiday, no one is deemed a permanent enemy. These are times when politicians, with cupboards overflowing with skeletons, are wary of corruption charges even against their sworn enemies. What can one expect of them when the target is their own partyman or partner? This explains why loads of black money, in cash and in secret accounts, of politicos remain hidden even in times of high political hostility. Whatever their flaws, these political animals have one virtue: they are aware of the four fingers pointing inwards even as they point the fifth at others!
And even in cases where the law has taken its own, dreary course, indictments don’t happen for want of ‘legally sustainable’ evidence or purely on technical grounds. While politicians have an understandable vested interest in shielding their tribe of black pots and blacker kettles, the judiciary is often inhibited by lack of sustained zeal in the investigating agencies, that, after all, report only to political masters. And the legal system itself is not totally immune to corruption, pressure or shrewd manipulation. Often, the letter of the law overrules the spirit. Judgements do not always deliver justice!
Really, the best way for a politician to thwart punishment for misdeeds seems to be to allow the law to take over. The porous legal system offers him the best bet to slip through, with his booty intact, and at worst a slight dent in reputation! But how does it matter to those who have shed shame? On the contrary, armed with such exoneration, for whatever it is worth, he can even make a bid for power again and succeed too, for he can also bank on the people’s court’s collective amnesia. Have we not witnessed many such resurrections in the past one decade?
Now this is not to say that poor, old Natwar will rise like the phoenix because the Congress seems hell bent on ensuring that no ashes remain, a precondition for something to rise again! Yes, Natwar is doomed politically. But his legal nemesis though is not as much a foregone conclusion given the complex nature of the deal and the difficulties in documenting it as to stand up in courts. True to tradition, this oil scam will emulate Bofors! And Natwar, Sons & Cousins Inc can happily retain all that Saddam had so graciously granted.
But does the episode end with Natwar, with the rest of the Congress living happily ever after? Is Natwar & Co’s shenanigans the sole issue here? What about co-accused Congress? India is a member of the UN. And its principal opposition party has been, well, a willing party in colluding to thwart UN-imposed sanctions by indulging in all kinds of shady deals. And that party, with such a shoddy track record, is in power now. If Natwar’s resignation has been accepted, then the Congress and the government it leads are deemed to have accepted the apparent veracity of the Volcker report. That is, there is no longer any doubt about the motives of Volcker or his findings. What’s sauce for Natwar should be so for the Cong ress too. If the barrels were divided equally, (4 million apiece) so should the blame be!
Aah, but that trail may lead to the top. After all, it was Sonia who cleared the ‘oil expedition’ and it was to her and her ‘kept’ party that Saddam was beholden. Do not Congmen themselves say that Sonia is Congress and vice versa? Can there be a departure from that logic now? So keeping Congress in the clear is a must if ony to protect Sonia, for are not she and her clan permanant non-contractual beneficiaries of Cong politics? A wise bard once said that ‘to find a scapegoat is one of the easiest of hunting expeditions’. Well, the high and mighty like Sonia need not even have to hunt, they have scapegoats on their doorsteps with their necks arched for the chop!
Natwar is in trouble because too many people sang in chorus. But Sonia will be in trouble only if Natwar sings. Will he? He might, unless there is a deal, blacker than the oil deal. Or if oil turns thicker than blood, and Natwar’s son defies his father and squeals. Some indications are there because he has alleged ‘being framed’. Mr Jagat needs all encouragement to talk more. Though one knows by experience that nobody is going to be hanged, for curiosity’s sake, if not for truth’s, one would like to get to the bottom of the barrel. But till then we can keep ourselves busy finding an appropriate ‘collar’ to decorate these scamsters!
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