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| CAG estimates on Money Lost in 2G Scam can finance 44444 days of Parliament Expenditure | | A Look through the Mist | |
By
Daya Sagar
Although UPA 2 Government has agreed to institute enquiry by JPC on 2G spectrum Scam but the manner in which cabinet colleagues of Man Mohan Singh Jee still tried to plead innocent on recent Scams during the debate on the motion for appointment of JPC as moved by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 24 February must have hurt many. Earlier one of the senior ministers of Man Mohan Singh Cabinet had almost said that Comptroller and Auditor General ‘s ( CAG’S) report was not worth the estimated loss of Rs.1,72000 Cr. In case the “ said “ Minister is to be believed then where was the need for the arrest of Mr. Raja Ex Union Minister by CBI and asking for remands there after. Rather after the case has been found worth criminal merits by CBI , had there been persons like Lal Bahadur Shastri in government today ,the Minister who had raised questions on the CAG report too would have resigned on moral grounds after the Ex Telecom Minister was arrested for alleged irregularities. I wish Man Mohan Jee succeeds.
But, the way " Mr. Clean" has more cared for CHAIR for years now, it appears that the INFLATION rate of “Corruption” in Government Machinery would keep on growing unless he dares to sacrifice his power seat for the COMMON Man of India. Rather media too needs to stop carrying statements declaring war against corruption, rather should wait for news story on atleast one conviction ordered on one alleged corrupt Hero and seizer of HIS assets.
With a flood of scams on the wealth of India and uncontrolled price rise noose around Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh , in his New Year eve message he has still promised to "redouble" efforts to deal with inflation and cleaning the governing processes. Many say that credibility of his government has stooped too low. But I would instead say that the common man now has reached a point where he does not look for any credibility of the democratic governments he elects. Some say there is a crisis of credibility facing UPA2 Government. But here too I would say that there appears to be no pressure from the people of India on the politicians compelling them to care for some credibility of their governance.
The way the Common Wealth Games loot, the Adarsh Housing Society Scam, the 2 G Spectrum fraud on the state exchequer, the questions raised on the positions like that of Chief Information Commissioner & National Human Rights Chairman and even senior positions in Judicialry as well as bureaucracy have been handled by the Man Mohan Singh Government has made it a common belief that corruption has become a way of life . No one hopes even a bit that the corrupt in India could be ever punished for a crime.
Manmohan Singh has resolved to cleanse the governance & root out corruption in 2011. Earlier also at occasions he had resolved like this. Man Mohan Singh’s event managers argue that he does not have a magic wand and hence cannot wipe out corruption unless the politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, media & intellectuals take concrete steps at their individual levels to eradicate this menace. Any how so wisely he has taken a grace time of 12 months for fulfilling his promise in 2011. In 2008 a promise was made for empowering the anti-corruption agencies ( like Lok Ayuktha) but empowerment has yet to be seen. The fate of empowerment as was resolved could be well gauged from the humiliation the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India has been subjected to on the issue of 2G RAJA SCAM (: The CBI began its questioning of former Telecom Minister A Raja on 24 Dec 10 in connection with its probe into the 2G Spectrum scam. According to sources the agency is likely to ask questions related to his equations with corporate lobbyist Nira Radia and former Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Pradip Baijal .There has been no fruitful recovery yet except some arrests have been there including that of Mr. Raja) .One of the Man Mohan Singh’s cabinet colleagues has gone to the extent of even questioning the reliability of CAG report. No academician, no senior journalist , so social activists has been able to carry to Man Mohan Singh the implications of questioning CAG publically.CAG report had been put on the website after the same was submitted to Parliament. The estimated loss to public exchequer has been put by CAG as worth over Rs.1.72 Lakh Crore. Even if we take the CAG estimates worth some correction, still the loss caused is surely there. Magnitude would not be less than Rs.1 Lakh Cr.
Even the audit paras from Accountant Generals worth just a few thousand rupees have been putting the service carriers of lower level government officer at serious risks. But here a CAG report implicating the Man Mohan Singh Cabinet in an intentional fraudulent game plan worth causing a loss of over Rs.1. 72 Lakh Rupees has been taken so lightly by the UPA 2 Government. No doubt Man Mohan Singh’s cabinet colleague Mr. A. Raja was made to quit the Government after the parliament was not allowed to function . But Man Mohan Singh can not escape responsibility under the garb of coalition compulsions. If can not some one else would run the Government. This way any one would do theft on the public resources for a few Crores and enjoy later on privately simply by resigning from service.
The most serious worrying point is that there is no political pressure on UPA government from the side of the public demonstrating annoyance on such a huge theft on the state exchequer. And above all the cabinet colleagues of Man Mohan Singh are still coming with arguments to question the CAG report. Mr. Kapil Sibal has in a way openly defended Mr. A. Raja . Man Mohan Singh has not come out publically to disown what Kapil Sibal has opined nor has he defended the institution of CAG. In case Kapil Sibal, a senior legal expert, has made a valid opinion then PM should ask Raja to rejoin the Ministry he resigned.
Otherwise opinions that even for “non political mentors” Man Mohan Singh it is sitting in the power seat that is more important than providing a clean governance to the people would hold ultimate.
The winter session of Parliament saw only questions and demands regarding investigation into 2G SCAM. Surely the no routine work in the Parliament raised many eye brows. It was so common a comment in the media accusing the opposition benches for causing a huge loss to the Nation in terms of over Rs.30000 thousand lost for every non working minute or one would say Rs.3.6 Cr per day. It did sound quite convincing in general. But when I looked at it seriously, I did not find questions that logical. If one goes with the logic that the opposition benches were still doing the public interest work by demanding from the Government a JPC on 2G SCAM that was worth over Rs.1.72 Lakh Crs as per CAG estimates. Imagine in case the Parliament has to work for all 365 days in a year, an amount of even Rs.1. 60 Lakh Cr can finance the cost of Parliament sittings for 122 years ( 44444 days ). Unless such messages are taken to the common man of India, the politicians would not mend their ways. Imagine how big has been the damage caused by Man Mohan Singh’s cabinet colleague in just one deal. Man Mohan Singh Jee can not escape direct responsibility. The budget session too would not be that easy although decision on JPC probe has been taken. The 2011-12 budget will be passed since in today’s political culture it is the numbers that matter in Indian parliament and not the issues.
Enough material is provided for debates, seminars, workshops and media discussions every next day through the stories on corruption that revolve around the politicians, IPS, IAS, IRS, Judiciary . But one story is buried under the muck of a new story. Rather the count is lost. PTI reported on January 1st Government plans to come out with an ordinance to put in place a mechanism to fight corruption among public servants and politicians. Such need was discussed at a meeting of the Congress Core Group on 31st Dec where a note prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office in the light of Sonia Gandhi’s five-point action plan as was suggested at a Congress rally, two weeks earlier , to fight corruption . Mechanism may be different from that Central Vigilance Commission which deals with only officials. It is not out of place to mention here that still no clear notes have come out regarding the long-pending Lok Pal Bill .As per sources Gandhi’s plan included closure of such cases in a well-defined time-frame. At the Plenary session of Congress Rahul Gandhi to had earlier demanded severe punishment for those guilty of corruption.
Man Mohan Singh Jee repeated a similar promise on 24 February while participating in the JPC motion debate in Lok Sabha. An elder like Man Mohan Singh should surely be aware of the erosion of public trust in his Government. Over all emerging signals do suggest that he does not have a political will to address the malaise of corruption charges dogging his government. Man Mohan Singh like any professor of sociology has not been able to t do any thing more than simply sermoning that "We will redouble our efforts to deal effectively and credibly with the challenges of inflation, cleansing our governing processes, national security and making our delivery system work for the aam admi,".
Man Mohan Singh had pledged on the eve of new year day for a clean Governance in 2011. People can wait and still take a chance. So, there is utmost need for his government to prove intentions by according even atleast some simple punishment to some accused for corruption. Times demand even provisions of summary trials be constitutionally debated and created for corruption cases like 2 G Scams and forfeiture of all properties ( self and dependents) of the accused as soon as charges are framed.
( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist
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