This may sound sinister, but I expected a bomb blast a little earlier, say around Nov end. My premonition had nothing to do with 26/11 or 6 Dec for I do not believe terrorists consider these ‘dead’lines auspicious, though the nation shuts itself up on those days; morbid as it may sound, they would instead create fresh occasions and anniversaries what with their absolute ability to choose the time and place to strike. Rather, the raging political storm over 2G was rocking the UPA a bit too hard and I sensed a diversion was in the offing. Of course, I caution that my line of thought will not stand SC scrutiny.
Storms battered TN too. And this natural decoy did submerge the 2G and housing scam here, albeit temporarily. But while the houses usurped by ‘very honest’ officials, judges etc will likely remain buried under political and bureaucratic mud, the CBI raids ensured that 2G emerged undefeated, muting the Varanasi blast at the national level and washing away the floods here. The raids at the premises of Raja and his parivar may themselves be a belated eye-wash and happened only at the prodding of the SC. But a new threshold has indeed been crossed and the issue will likely be on the legal and political front burners for some more time. Needless to add, all the ‘incriminating’ documents would be used for political blackmail and not to flush out the scamsters or their stash.
That terrorist attacks and climate disasters, which are about life, limb and livelihood, have become minor distractions is indeed disturbing. The scam-a-day rountine and the blown-up blow-by-blow breaking of news by the media has not just diluted all priorities but also destroyed all trust and faith, in institutions and between individuals. And if indeed, one cooperates with another, it is indicative of collusion for common cause, calling for a closer look. Guilt is presumed; innocence has to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt. Really, fear of scandal or media frame up is likely to paralyse even safe hands and keep them off public funds or activities. Of course, the soiled ones will brazenly keep dipping into the till, unmindful of reprisals which they know how to handle. Such is the scenario that not just lofty things like national security but even normal living has become a dream. One can’t even talk to a spouse without the fear of a party of the third part tuning in. The spectrum has enough room not just for scamsters but also tappers.
At a macro level, the perversion of democracy which started a few decades back appears to have reached a tipping point with governance becoming a mirage now. Indira Gandhi’s Emergency woke the nation up to the perils of democratic dictatorship. But the Janata coalition that followed turned out to be a joke and single-party dictatorship staged a comeback and remained for a decade. The Bofors scandal plus some doses of Mandal and Mandir put coalitions back on the pedestal. But far from making governance federal and broadbased, it is corruption that got devolved. State ‘rights’ and State ‘share’ surely zoomed but with no accretion whatsoever to the State’s people! ‘You dont tell-I dont tell’ and ‘United, we loot’ became the mantras for mutual backscratching, otherwise called coalition dharma, as local rajas ruled the roost, giving their bigger central partners a run for their money. In any case, there was enough in the kitty for all. ‘Portfolio’ and ‘allocation’, typical jargons in governance, have totally different meanings when overheard on tapped phone lines. If at the national level, the allies in Government outsourced governance to corporates and lobbies, in TN which is at the other end of the spectrum, governance is a matinee show or an ego tickling exercise, delievered from preview theatres or felicitation venues!
The complete corrosion of bureaucracy, from within and without, is another major tragedy. The maze of rules and regulations that governance is made of can confound not just the layman but even lawmen. The interpretation of the fine print or the space between the lines is wholly at the wisdom of the babu. No politician can steal public money without a helping hand from the bureaucrat on the modus operandi. All the scams, 2G, CWG, Aadarsh and the TN housing, have the seal of officialdom blazing forth like neon signs. The CBI, the bureaucratic watchdog, is notorious for just watching and wagging its tail at the rulers or barking at and biting their opponents. The entire set up is similarly malleable, under political pressure or with grease. And this is the steel frame that is supposed to insulate the nation from political vagaries and hold it securely from falling apart!
And worse, many nationalised banks have actually funded the scamsters to the tune of thousands of crores just on hypothecation of licences which were yet to come. One fortunate bidder was able to raise Rs 10,000 crs overnight from a major bank. Most bidders were ready with DDs for huge amounts when Raja blew the ‘auction’ whistle with nary a notice. And all this when an ordinary mortal cannot wangle a single rupee without getting tangled in the web of norms and procedures for ages. Such undue diligence is a pointer that the banking system had been compromised, top down. The banks’ role in bankrolling the scam will only get curioser if the 2G licences are cancelled. Many bankers will now be praying for the health of the scamsters so that the outstanding loans are safe. Now, that’s one lobby more!
That leaves the judiciary. The SC may be the hero of the day. But the all pervading mistrust will likely afflict the judiciary too in no time. For one, the judiciary has stoutly resisted all attempts at scrutiny or reform despite overwhelming evidence of judicial corruption and misuse of office. But if the SC’s efforts to solve the mystery of the missing millions on 2G has brought laurels to the judiciary and kindled hopes in the people, the missed call affair may well draw an adverse judgement. The judge who was sought to be influenced by Raja says he sent a letter to the HC CJ mentioning the minister’s name. The HC CJ claims he sent a report to the SC CJ with that letter attached. However, the SC CJ claims no minister was mentioned. Lost in judicial transit probably. But with the Chennai HC this week making it known that the minister was indeed Raja, as was widely believed, where does it now put the former SC CJ?
Indeed, the species of scamsters seems to be the most secure. In contrast, all custodians and watchdogs have singularly conspired to deprive the dispossessed of even the meagre residue that comes their way. Now do we really need bombs to fell us or storms to sink us?
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