Stains on Saffron
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The best insurance for a corrupt ruling politico is a vulnerable opponent. BJP chief Nitin Gadkari fitted that bill perfectly. Abuse of power, shady land deals, creative corporate accounting etc, all familiar flavours of the reigning UPA-United Plunderers’ Association, appear to have found abundant favour with him too. His letting off Rob lightly with just a casual shrug and a nonchalant comment that ‘we need more proof’ was a deadly give away. And in a milieu where accusations are adequate ammunition to fell a public person, Gadkari getting into peer company with Cong on corruption is real bad news for the BJP.
Not that the lotus party is in the pink of health otherwise. Having ceded the anti-corruption plank to activists long ago, the BJP is beset with leadership issues and internal power struggles. The party in its self-inflicted role as the opposition first slipped off the moral high ground over Yeddy. That was the time when the activists led by Anna were rearing their heads over UPA’s scams. But the BJP spent those critical hours in fire-fighting mode. And just when it should be taking Sonia, Sons & Sons-in-law
head-on, the slip has become a slide, thanks to Gadkari.
Indeed, considering the party’s political stakes, its president is eminently expendable and if the wilting lotus is not to wither away totally, he must be rested for a Master Wealth Check-up!
Gains of Cong:
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Remember Rob of just two weeks vintage? Well, he suddenly seems old wine in view of the new ones on display. The whole family must be saying cheers. After all, while scams of self can give a nasty hangover, those of the opponent are heady stuff and call for a toast.
Sure, any number of Nitins, past, present and future, cannot beat Cong in the scandals game. So at poll eve, after the absent cash from the public treasury is counted and accounted, the Cong would still top the charts with a huge surplus sleaze. And that probably should be enough reason to prevent UPA 3, a dreadful possibility. Still, there is no gainsaying the fact that the Cong has gained some temporary relief.
And how it has achieved that! Given that the black spots on its person cannot be erased easily, it has done the next best – worst – thing: Paint the entire nation black so that it is difficult to spot the difference. Enter Digvijaya, the standard smearing agent of the party to launch a no-holds-barred attack, firing at random, unmindful of whether the tar sticks or not. Well, we will have to wait till he shoots himself!
Pains from Media:
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No one knows when it happened. There was certainly no official notification. But the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Supreme Court of India seem to have shifted base to the TV studios. And lo, all scribes have turned sleuths while the anchors in suits and ties play the judges with aplomb. In fact, we have as many CBIs and SCs as there are TV channels. And we can no longer complain over law taking its long, dreary course either: A scoop at noon gets disposed off by primetime the same night with the accused damned and dumped for good! That fast!
Of course, none can grudge these journalistic judges and their jury. Unlike the real CBI and SC, these people face competition, not just from within their lot but also from activists. They cannot afford to wait or waste time over petty formalities like proper verification, what with the next scam just a commercial break away. But all the hue and cry certainly seem comic. For one, the sudden on-screen scramble for scandals betrays an earlier ignorance, selective targetting and even collusion. Much of what has been exposed by activists were always in the media’s grasp. Rob, for instance, was an open book but many media outfits with means chose a path of utmost restraint. Indeed, it is not yearning for justice but TRP that is now animating them. And how many media houses can afford a transparency in their business deals that they demand of politicos and activists? Our din should not make our own ears deaf. Time to tone down, mates!
Strains on the public:
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The Birlas’ continuous patronage of Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle is a ‘scam’ by current standards. Similar scandalous accusations can be made against the many pre-1947 professionals, business tycoons, landlords and even royalty who all plunged into politics without exactly pledging their self-interests. Clearly, in just sixty five years, the public eye has been jaundiced, justifiably at that, beyond salvage.
It is no longer a question of believing or disbelieving anything said of anyone. A nation, neck-deep in sleazy slush, is fast-turning numb. Indignation is evaporating as quickly as channels switch to the next scandal. Instead, there is anxiety, and even fear. With the political air full of fast-flying muck, the natural tendency of those aspiring for responsible public life and even that of concerned citizens is to duck and stay clear. With unlimited State power and a sensation- hungry media, the Digvijayas can fix and frame anyone they dislike. Currently the citizens fill the hate list of his ilk. So, who knows when a TV grab of an ordinary voter tipping a traffic cop would go public on breaking news?
And therein lies the vile politico’s vindication. I get this uneasy feeling that in all this mad scam-rush the really corrupt and criminal are getting away!
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