“Oh Demonic world, we doth behold,
How prices flew? How conscience sold?
How darkness loomed, how grave the shame
All lost in loss, absorbed deep in blame.”
Tainted Telecom minister A.Raja
As I watched a debate on a noted TV news channel last night, my stomach curled up in rage. My conscience mocked, I brooded as the gentlemen and women involved threw brickbats and bouquets at each other. Over what might you question? Passive through we are, we refuse to remain silent when the scoundrel of a thief, plays the kingmaker (read Raja).
Dr. Manmohan Singh has been playing his cards efficiently in the recent past, placing his accomplices under his protective care, ensuring robust protection to those who cement his existence the most.
Brand Congress has seen its image tarnished and tattered in the last couple of months. Be it the Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society Scam or the mismanagement at the Commonwealth Games at Delhi; the Congress will find it difficult to resurface to the near-pinnacle location that it had found itself at. With the 2-G scam making a backdoor entry, just at the completion of the games in Delhi, the party has been hit hook-line and sinker.
What would be interesting to the observer is how the chieftain of the herd would retort. Mr. Suresh Kalmadi was sacked under desperate circumstances. Amidst hectic midnight parleys, AK Antony and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the loyalist faces of the Congress chose Mr. Prithviraj Chavan as the successor to the beleaguered Mr. Ashok Chavan.
Common logic would suggest – Shouldn’t Raja too get the boot? Why not?
As the entire country looks up to this man, the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy for his judgment, we simply wonder- is it really arriving at all? This beacon of conscience and principles is caged within the darkness of silence. I allude a line that I recall from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to the predicament that all of us are in -“The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power”.
Must not the ministry be purged of all its inherent evil elements? Has the stability of the ministry become a greater liability to the esteemed Prime Minister of the nation, than the existence of righteousness? He might have made good beginnings by sacking two very prominent officials of the country, but it just wasn’t enough. He must complete what he had set out to resolve.
The Prime Minister is acting right now towards the upcoming Tamil Nadu, as well as the General Elections much ahead. It is a well-thought out act to garner some precious Tamil seats. However, had the country elected the NDA to destroy the present for the benefit of the future? No, we hadn’t. Dr. Singh must come out with a verdict soon.
Let’s discuss the figures to familiarize you with the loss. The country lost crores in revenue, over seven times the amount upon which various agreements were made during President Obama’s visit. The amount was enough to feed the entire country hundreds of times over. Such was the revenue that the 2G auction could have generated. But alas, the king (‘Raja’) had other plans.
The Passive Pundits 