I believe Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he says that he and his government will “redouble” their efforts to deal effectively with the challenges of inflation, cleansing of government processes and national security and make the “delivery system work for the aam admi.” I do not want to ask the Prime Minister why he has been slow in his reaction so far. Apparently, the number of scams that have tumbled out of his government’s cupboard have made him conscious that he needs to cleanse the government. Still worse is the beating that his stock has taken.
The Prime Minister faces an uncomfortable situation because the talk of the town is that he has been living with corruption, knowing well who has been indulging in it. He faces the risk of losing the support of the DMK, which has a crucial 16 votes in the Lok Sabha.
My worry is that mere intentions are not adequate. He would have to sacrifice many sacred cows to make good on his promise. In the process he may face the danger of losing the prime ministership. For example, if he sees the 2G spectrum scandal to its logical end and act against Telecommunications Minister A Raja, coalition partner DMK may pull of the government. Is he prepared for that? Ultimately, it depends on one’s commitment and the extent to which one is determined to go so that one is not swept away by pressure or prize.
Even when DMK Chief K. Karunanidhi insulted him by not coming to the airport and not attending his dinner at Raj Bhawan, Manmohan Singh himself went to the DMK patriarch and his remark that the ties between the Congress and DMK are as strong as before gave out the game.
There is nothing to suggest in the tenure of seven years he has had that he is prepared to stake his government if it comes to that. In fact, he has been seen making political and other compromises to save the coalition he heads.
Even India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru posed the same question in a letter to state chief ministers: “How do we stand in our minds and spirit, how do we adhere to the basic principles that give strength to our people?”
I shall assess the Prime Minister’s earnestness about cleansing the system from the stand he takes on three cases. One is the inquiry into the missing file from the Defence Ministry. The file contains top secret papers on the purchase of planes for the Air Force from Russia. How did the file reach the road near Khel Gaon?
The second is the onion racket. The 2000-tonne import from Pakistan was stalled at the Mumbai port on one pretext or the other. Will the guilty be punished? I do not know why Agriculture Minister Sharad Power is kept at the same post when he has been found wanting again and again. Food inflation reaching a figure of 14.5 per cent may not be his doing. But he has to share a lot of responsibility. The National Congress Party (NCP) which he leads is an important partner in the coalition. Again, the challenge before the Prime Minister is how does he cleanse his administration if he is weighed down by political compulsions?
The third question is about the kickbacks from Bofors guns. The Income Tax tribunal has said that Ottavio Quaattrochhi, an Italian, and Win Chadha received Rs 41 crore as gratification money in the deal. The Congress spokesman has said that it was a civil suit, not criminal. Whatever the connotation of the case, the question is not legal but moral.
Even after fresh evidence, the CBI has asked for the closure of case against Quaattrochhi. When former CBI director Joginder Singh says that the CBI has to take the permission of the government before arriving at an important decision it means that the closure of case against the Italian middle man was directed by the government. It says a lot about the government and its political masters.
The writer is a senior Indian journalist.