Though the report of the Public Accounts Committee on 2G scam was subdued in the ruckus created by the parliamentarians on accepting the clear cut findings because they indict clean-image Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the message has been delivered.
Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party member MM Joshi, who was on the receiving end by the Congress MPs assisted by its allies and foes-turned-allies like the BSP and SP, appeared to have had the last laugh.
Joshi was perhaps aware that the PAC report would be short-lived. The Congress party would in any case have turned it down had it been fully accepted. The party had been raising the questions of continuing with the PAC after the JPC had been constituted. But Joshi went ahead with his probe.
The PAC gained a lot of brownie points by summoning the likes of Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani. The PAC members went along with Joshi for sometime, only protesting in murmurs but as he become bold and daring enough to reach, what the Congress wants to protect - the Prime Minister, they had enough. As PMO officials were about to be called for giving their statements, Soz and his team of eight went on the rampage, forcing Joshi to shelve his plans of calling the PM for examination, which Singh himself had offered earlier.
And before the PAC term could end on April 30, the (draft) report hit the headlines.
The report is unlikely to be accepted. But the damage has been done.
The veteran leader was more or less successful in hinting who are the protagonists of the Rs 1.76 crore scam besides those already in jail, including former Telecom Minister A Raja. The name of PM had been dragged in the 2G scam.
The most vital question is what has been Manmohan Singh’s contribution in perpetuating the scam? How did he benefit from the mega scam?
Caesar wife should be above suspicion. So if there are fingers being pointed out, should it not be proper for the highest executive officer holder to come out clean, if he so desires to remain spotlessly taint-free.
Leaving aside the fact that Raja mislead the PM on more than a few occasions, the PMO too showed files to Singh after the scam had taken place. The PM with the RAW, IB at his command and so also all the senior babus who are supposed to keep him informed on important matters of the state, should have briefed Singh at some point about the scam taking place.
Given that the scam managers were able to hoodwink the PM, PMO, IB, ED… and Raja was able to “deliberately and dismindly mislead the PM in order to fulfill his nefarious design leading to a staggering loss of revenue which also tarnished the image of the country”, was the PM so self-contained or occupied or powerless that he could not spare time and stop what was happening right in front of his face. A newspaper was regularly writing about the scam since 2008, much before the 2009 general elections. Should not the PM have taken cognizance?
The questions being raised are:
Why did the Prime Minister give “indirect green signal” to former Telecom Minister A Raja?
“The PM’s “desire to keep the PMO at arm’s length indirectly helped the Communications Minister to go ahead and execute his unfair, arbitrary and dubious designs.” Why did the PM keep the PMO at arm’s length? How long was the arm?
Manmohan has recently said that revenue generation has never been a primary consideration. This contradicts his India Telecom 2007 statement that revenue generation must not be lost sight of. Why is the PM flip flopping on such important matters?
The PMO is “required to reconcile the two divergent views of the PM”.
Will Singh present himself to the Central Bureau of Investigation, like he offered to the PAC?
The onus is on the PM and not on the agency to come forward. The fact of the matter is CBI cannot move against the PM. Can a sleuth, no matter how gutsy or fool-hardy, question the man who inaugurates their swanky building? Can any file noting be ever made against the PM?
In any case, the CBI and other investigating agencies have to seek permission from the sanctioning authority, which sounds a very difficult proposition.
The CBI after filing the second chargesheet in the court indicated that it was as far as it could go, barring a supplementary. In fact the role of the premier agency has been that of a passive one, acting at the behest of the Supreme Court.
But Singh should take the lead and come forward and present what circumstances led to the scam, was he never aware of the scam taking place, why no officer briefed him and plethora of other questions. The chair of the PM has to be above board. Singh is King, and it should show.
Showing posts with label PM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PM. Show all posts
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Who is to blame for the mess?
A man recently lost his life due to traffic mismanagement in place for the convoy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had to attend the Congress party plenary at Burari in Delhi.
This is not the first death due to traffic blockages in place for the PM and that too when he did not take the route. Two other deaths have been reported, one from Chandigarh and another in Kanpur, due to traffic blockades of the PM. Perhaps, this will not be the last, if adequate measures not adopted and soon at that.
Without questioning the need of security for the PM, it raises a pertinent question – Do we value the life of a citizen of the country? If yes, has anyone been held responsible for the deaths? Why has no officer or the PM been held guilty of murder? Who is to blame?
Why can’t we have systems that enable unhindered movement of the PMs and also respect the right of the citizens to live and move freely, and not die or at least reach emergency services in time?
The answer lies in the fact that we do not value the life. A death is just a small news item or a passing mention in the briefs.
We are still living in the mindset of British slavery. Today, in our system, we treat district magistrates as lords and police officials at unbridled dictators. Judges and netas are Gods. Bow down mister, or else…
That leaves us - you and me in a crappy hole. Just run a reality check. We travel in overcrowded buses and metros, bear stench of open nalas, walk in uncleaned streets, beg gas wallahs to deliver our cylinders, traffic is in a mess and we plead cops not to challan … all because most of the bureaucrats and leaders are lethargic, corrupt and work in self-centered mode. Corruption is omni-present and bribe is the way to get your file moving. Governance is in pits. A day in the life of the nation is filled with greed, graft, bribery, dirty money. We are still rated among the most corrupt in the world. Human rights, not the Arundhati-Kashmir variety type, are only for thesis papers.
Corruption at the top – 2G scam, CWG… Corruption at the bottom – at the thana level or in the courts. Can you get a driving license made without getting through the dalal? You have paid the court staff to even see your court file? Can you get a government contract without paying good percentages upfront? Nah, I not only doubt, but am pretty certain that exceptions apart, money is the rule of the game.
So if one of us dies, who cares?
Take it easy. We all have our faults. Its not so bad, argue many who always like to see the picture through the prism of air-conditioned logic.
Why blame the system, since it is so rotten and so irreversible that you too have become a part of it. Agreed, we all have paid bribes or resorted to some sort of corruption somewhere. But we have to stand up.
They take advantage of us being disunited. We have to take the responsibility, here and now. It will take a revolution, perhaps a civil war to cleanse this rot. Perhaps, it will take a few decades but lets start. Today! Dayafter we can reap the benefits and not die because the bloody PMs have to suck the nation’s thumb.
This is not the first death due to traffic blockages in place for the PM and that too when he did not take the route. Two other deaths have been reported, one from Chandigarh and another in Kanpur, due to traffic blockades of the PM. Perhaps, this will not be the last, if adequate measures not adopted and soon at that.
Without questioning the need of security for the PM, it raises a pertinent question – Do we value the life of a citizen of the country? If yes, has anyone been held responsible for the deaths? Why has no officer or the PM been held guilty of murder? Who is to blame?
Why can’t we have systems that enable unhindered movement of the PMs and also respect the right of the citizens to live and move freely, and not die or at least reach emergency services in time?
The answer lies in the fact that we do not value the life. A death is just a small news item or a passing mention in the briefs.
We are still living in the mindset of British slavery. Today, in our system, we treat district magistrates as lords and police officials at unbridled dictators. Judges and netas are Gods. Bow down mister, or else…
That leaves us - you and me in a crappy hole. Just run a reality check. We travel in overcrowded buses and metros, bear stench of open nalas, walk in uncleaned streets, beg gas wallahs to deliver our cylinders, traffic is in a mess and we plead cops not to challan … all because most of the bureaucrats and leaders are lethargic, corrupt and work in self-centered mode. Corruption is omni-present and bribe is the way to get your file moving. Governance is in pits. A day in the life of the nation is filled with greed, graft, bribery, dirty money. We are still rated among the most corrupt in the world. Human rights, not the Arundhati-Kashmir variety type, are only for thesis papers.
Corruption at the top – 2G scam, CWG… Corruption at the bottom – at the thana level or in the courts. Can you get a driving license made without getting through the dalal? You have paid the court staff to even see your court file? Can you get a government contract without paying good percentages upfront? Nah, I not only doubt, but am pretty certain that exceptions apart, money is the rule of the game.
So if one of us dies, who cares?
Take it easy. We all have our faults. Its not so bad, argue many who always like to see the picture through the prism of air-conditioned logic.
Why blame the system, since it is so rotten and so irreversible that you too have become a part of it. Agreed, we all have paid bribes or resorted to some sort of corruption somewhere. But we have to stand up.
They take advantage of us being disunited. We have to take the responsibility, here and now. It will take a revolution, perhaps a civil war to cleanse this rot. Perhaps, it will take a few decades but lets start. Today! Dayafter we can reap the benefits and not die because the bloody PMs have to suck the nation’s thumb.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
We need a leader
Congress President Sonia Gandhi at a rally in Bhadrak(Orissa) today praised Prime Manmohan Singh for “putting a lot of pressure on Pakistan” for the Mumbai attack. Gandhi also said that Singh had all the qualities to hold the top job.
Sorry, Madam! Singh does not have all the qualities to be the king. Had he really been the KING, he would have attacked Pakistan.
In all fairness, Singh has many qualities but perhaps not all of them. Our king has to be perfect. We cannot, and should not, accept any person less than perfect as our prime minister. Let us evolve a zero tolerance policy towards our PM.
Enough has been written and a lot more has been said about Singh and his qualities or the lack of it… In fact he has been perfect in one thing – becoming the PM and staying put for five years. He has done a great job just being there.
But I am not sure if we can give him full marks in other spheres of general administration of the country, ensuring corruption free governance and complete leadership.
For one thing that the government really deserves full praise is empowering the people with the RTI. The remaining is just filling the gaps (even though this is essential). Like for instance, modernizing the airports – the time has arrived for us as a nation to move into the big league. Of course, who gets to modernize the airports and who pockets what percentage is another question. The bottom line is that airports are being given a better look with improved facilities.
Then of course the schemes – employment guarantee scheme, etc… have been initiated. They do deserve good grades for at least trying to initiate meaning plans. How successful they remain, only time will tell.
But given our administrative structure that empowers our babus, enslaved mindset, archaic laws, rules and regulations and incoherent will of the people we are not making much headway. It is not that we are a young nation craving to compete and succeed in a hurry. They will not be done in a day or two. But we need a good prime minister who can pull in all together.
If Singh had been Sonia Gandhi or Singh had been L K Advani then it would have been different. But Singh was Singh and most of the time he was more interested in saving his skin and keeping Gandhi in good humour. So where is the question of him being an ‘independent person’ or a strong PM. Advani says Singh is a weak PM. Sure! Singh just ended up pressuring Pakistan for the Mumbai attack.
More than two weeks ago, on a TV channel I said that Pakistan would disintegrate in six months to two years time.
Many areas of Pakistan are not in its control. Pakistan Army is on a weak footing. They are constantly being the World for money. Recently their president was seeking aid from Japan to tackle terrorism. More than half the forces are deployed along the Afghanistan border. The Americans are operating inside Pakistan. So we could have, had we had a tough Prime Minister, attacked Pakistan instead of just pressuring Pakistan. We need a PM who will be able to change – not only the administration, legislature and judiciary, but we the people also. We need a PM who will be willing to take bold decisions and eliminate corruption. The country needs a leader.
Sorry, Madam! Singh does not have all the qualities to be the king. Had he really been the KING, he would have attacked Pakistan.
In all fairness, Singh has many qualities but perhaps not all of them. Our king has to be perfect. We cannot, and should not, accept any person less than perfect as our prime minister. Let us evolve a zero tolerance policy towards our PM.
Enough has been written and a lot more has been said about Singh and his qualities or the lack of it… In fact he has been perfect in one thing – becoming the PM and staying put for five years. He has done a great job just being there.
But I am not sure if we can give him full marks in other spheres of general administration of the country, ensuring corruption free governance and complete leadership.
For one thing that the government really deserves full praise is empowering the people with the RTI. The remaining is just filling the gaps (even though this is essential). Like for instance, modernizing the airports – the time has arrived for us as a nation to move into the big league. Of course, who gets to modernize the airports and who pockets what percentage is another question. The bottom line is that airports are being given a better look with improved facilities.
Then of course the schemes – employment guarantee scheme, etc… have been initiated. They do deserve good grades for at least trying to initiate meaning plans. How successful they remain, only time will tell.
But given our administrative structure that empowers our babus, enslaved mindset, archaic laws, rules and regulations and incoherent will of the people we are not making much headway. It is not that we are a young nation craving to compete and succeed in a hurry. They will not be done in a day or two. But we need a good prime minister who can pull in all together.
If Singh had been Sonia Gandhi or Singh had been L K Advani then it would have been different. But Singh was Singh and most of the time he was more interested in saving his skin and keeping Gandhi in good humour. So where is the question of him being an ‘independent person’ or a strong PM. Advani says Singh is a weak PM. Sure! Singh just ended up pressuring Pakistan for the Mumbai attack.
More than two weeks ago, on a TV channel I said that Pakistan would disintegrate in six months to two years time.
Many areas of Pakistan are not in its control. Pakistan Army is on a weak footing. They are constantly being the World for money. Recently their president was seeking aid from Japan to tackle terrorism. More than half the forces are deployed along the Afghanistan border. The Americans are operating inside Pakistan. So we could have, had we had a tough Prime Minister, attacked Pakistan instead of just pressuring Pakistan. We need a PM who will be able to change – not only the administration, legislature and judiciary, but we the people also. We need a PM who will be willing to take bold decisions and eliminate corruption. The country needs a leader.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)