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Political Diary
Koda’s Millions, Manu’s Parole
WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL, YAAR
By Poonam I Kaushish
New Delhi, November 17, 2009
Phew? It has been a busy season keeping track of the
garam-garam-teekha-teekha horrifying tamashas of the poweratti.
Wherein our netas have not only cleverly perfected the art of
self-deception but scaled new heights of corruption, rule by
law and capture of power by pelf.
After all darlings, it has everything to do with the power
of politics and the politics of power!
Nothing illustrates this better than the political nautanki
and stench of money in four States. In Jharkhand Madhu Koda is
under the CBI scanner for amassing over Rs 4000 crores in all
of two years as Chief Minister. In Karnataka, we stood witness
to the BJP Chief Minister Yedurappa’s unholy surrender before
the mine-rich Reddy brothers. In Maharashtra the delayed
swearing-in of the Congress-NCP Ministers thanks to a tussle
over which Party should control the lucrative purse-strings of
Home, PWD and Power with a total budget of over Rs 60,000
crore is testimony of money seeking to determine who would
rules the State. And the postponed Cabinet expansion in
Haryana which hefty trade-offs written all over it.
More, that our laws are far removed the paper they are written
on. Nowhere is this better reflected than in the ease with
which Manu Sharma, son of senior Haryana Congress leader Vinod
Sharma managed to get parole for two months within a few years
of being convicted of murdering the model Jessica Lal in 1999
for refusing to serve drinks. Worse, that the way parole was
granted made a mockery of justice.
Take Koda, who found himself as CM despite being an
independent MLA minted money by trading his signature for
issuing mining licenses. How many in poor asli Bharat have
even heard of Dubai, Mauritius and Liberia, in which Koda
stashed away millions of US dollars. True like his elk before
him, Koda is innocent until he is proven guilty and law will
take its own course. So confident is he that he will come up
trumps that he has nominated his wife to fight the poll. Once
again underscoring that politics is the last refuge of
scoundrels!
Significantly, if Koda made his millions after coming to
politics, the Reddy brothers in Karnataka used their monies to
direct politics. They sought a change in the State's
leadership on the grounds that their business interests were
not being furthered under Yeddurappa. Not only that. They
wanted the entire Bellary administration revamped and their
projects cleared fast. So strong was the force of the mining
magnates money power that Yeddurappa and the BJP buckled
under. A weeping CM went on TV had to say he would change his
ways! A horrific moment in media history.
Coming to the Jesical Lal saga of how the mighty get away with
even murder. It has now been established that rules were bent
when Manu Sharma, who is serving a life sentence for the
murder of Jessica was given parole on three grounds: To
participate in the religious rites of his late grandmother,
attend to his ‘ailing mother’ and tend to the family business.
Never mind, that his granny died a year ago, his ‘ailing
mother’ was seen heartily addressing a press conference on the
State’s women’s cricket team and his business interests being
well-attended to. Compounding this, he was spotted at two
Delhi night-clubs.
Shockingly, while the Delhi police turned down Manu’s plea for
parole, the Delhi Government cleared his request in unseemly
haste based on the Chandigarh police report. That too, after
the Supreme Court had rejected Manu’s petition for bail on
similar grounds. Further, Tihar Jail inmates have filed a
petition with the Delhi High Court, alleging that parole is
being given only to the influential and seeking transparency
in the process. This year, out of 132 applications for parole
from prisoners in Tihar, only 11 were approved. Despite a
Court directive that parole applications be processed quickly
it takes more than 8-10 months to decide most cases. Manu’s
was done in days. Needless to say, Congress ka haath khaas
criminal ke saath hai!
What’s new? Aren’t we accustomed to an immoral, corrupt,
criminal and unaccountable polity who could stoop to anything
for paisa and gaddi. Wherein scams no longer shocks, worry
anyone or causes mass protests. Don’t we know that there is
something rotten in the State of Denmark. With unscrupulous
manipulators emerging as the new rulers --- of
politico-criminals, feudal lords and power dons. Shrugged off
as a price one has to pay for democracy
What troubles one is the new dimension to this age-old
malaise. That it does not strike any chord among our leaders
who have reduced graft to a farcical political pantomime. Most
distressing is that there is no longer any sense of outrage or
shame even when caught red handed. Corruption today is naked,
unashamed, and brazen. Nowadays, they conveniently wash their
hands off by calling corruption a “systemic failure.” Or
cursorily dismiss it as one of the ‘unlisted’ perks of their
jobs. Are they kidding? No, in plain English, they are damn
serious.
Tragically, the downslide has been rapid. With every passing
year and election, the barometer of corruption and immorality
has steadily risen. Worse, our netagan neither want to change
or be accountable. Not even to God. Transparency is a far cry.
Accustomed as there are to being a law unto themselves. The
tragedy is that the private face of our netas is ugly. It wins
hands down over their public mask. One hand washes the other.
The proud founders of Power &Money India Limited ---- dream
merchants of power and the money that goes with it. Liberally
interspersed with malice, selfishness, greed for money,
back-stabbing and coarse language. The most enterprising and
lucrative industry in India today. A lethal dhanda which has
ensnared a captive people.
Look at the benefits. One, money power greatly adds to their
political clout. Two, parties put up the moneyed to strengthen
their own hands. This works on the premise --- that you
scratch my back and I yours. Three, money-power comes in handy
to settle scores with opponents and use them for partisan
political ends. So far so good. But when governance and power
demand at least outward projections of piety, morality,
goodness et al they don their public mukhota and drone
endlessly about eradicating this scourge. All talk, no action.
Remember, politics is all about sounding good.
One can go on and on about hedonism in the year gone by. Of
scams which have been reduced to one-day cricketing wonders.
And argue that the rules of the game have got changed
recklessly without a thought to the future and a premium put
on criminality and immorality. But the moot point is: Will
profligacy be allowed to become the bedrock of our
Parliamentary democracy? Basically, is it good for our
democracy to have such people represent the voters? When those
who are supposed to lead become saboteurs, it is time to call
a spade a spade. Above all, we need politicians who are men of
conscience, integrity and credibility. Not comrades in crime.
In sum, the aam aadmi is damn sick of political corruption and
want accountability, honesty and transparency. Else, he will
be justified in concluding that all talk of eradicating
corruption by out netagan is nothing more than shameless
hypocrisy and a Himalayan humbug! Is he asking for too
much?---- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
E-Mail :
newseditor@sarkaritel.com
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