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| DMK ups the ante, questions Congress' different scales | | Omar's Resignation | | Neha
JAMMU, Oct 7: DMK of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, which is part of the UPA, has also jumped on to the bandwagon of those demanding Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's head for his alleged involvement in a criminal conspiracy that culminated in the death of prominent NC worker Haji Syed Mohammad Yousuf in highly mysterious circumstances and questioned the "different scales being used for the DMK and other allies, like the National Conference (NC)". In fact, the DMK, which is not happy with the Congress, has referred to the "forced resignation" of Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran, in order to pave way for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CPI) to question him in the 2G multi-crore scam, Rs 176,000 crore, according the Comptroller and Auditor General's devastating report.
The DMK is sulking and chaffing for quite sometime now. It has no love lost for Congress but it, at the same time, has not mustered courage to snap its ties with the Congress and the UPA because of political compulsions. One of the compulsions is that several DMK leaders, including Karunanidhi's own daughter Kani Mozi and former Telecom Minister A Raja, are facing serious corruption charges and they are languishing in the Tihar Jail since months. They are allegedly involved in the 2G spectrum scam. The case is being directly monitored by the Supreme Court of India.
It needs to be noted that the under-the-dock Congress and the Prime Minister had tried their best to defend A Raja, but with no result because the public pressure was so intense. Dayanidhi Maran, too, had to quit the Textile Ministry under public pressure. And, it is the same scam that is haunting Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. The Congress and the Prime Minister are defending him but, at the same time, keeping their fingers crossed because the matter is before the apex court, which could order the CBI to quiz Chidambaram - a direction that could lead to the ouster of Chidambaram. Subramanian Swamy, president of Janata Party, is relentlessly fighting a legal battle in several courts, including the Supreme Court and the trial court, and his stated objective is to see Chidambaram in the Tihar Jail.
The sulking DMK does make a point when it accuses the Congress party and the under-attack Prime Minister of adopting one yardstick for those allegedly involved in the 2G spectrum scam and another for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president and Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah allegedly involved in a dubious conspiracy that led to the death of Yousuf on September 30. No one can question the stance of the DMK. For, the Congress and the UPA Government have been tackling the issue that has virtually paralyzed the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Government in a manner that does give a legitimate cause to the DMK and other formations to question what they call the double-standards taken recourse by the persons at the helm to punish one and save the other. For, while some senior DMK leaders are allegedly involved in pure corruption, the NC top leaders are not only allegedly involved in political corruption but also in a "criminal conspiracy" that has led to the death of Yousuf. In other words, the charges levelled by the PDP and family members of the late Yousuf against the NC top leadership are far more serious, as compared to the charges leveled against some DMK leaders.
It is extremely doubtful if the Congress and the UPA Government would pay heed to what the sulking DMK leadership has asked for. But the indifferent attitude of the Congress and the UPA Government's negative response to the suggestion of the DMK would not help them in any manner and salvage the situation. On the contrary, the negative attitude on the part of the Congress and the UPA would surely complicate further the already rather complicated situation in the state in general and Kashmir in particular. The situation as it exists today in the state requires a careful handling considering the fact that the tempers are running very high in the Kashmir Valley, as also considering the fact that the prevailing unrest, discontent and anger can explode in Kashmir anytime, thus culminating in the rise of a situation conducive for the anti-national forces to heighten their anti-India activities in the state.
The best course available for the powers-that-be in New Delhi is to tackle the issue in a fashion that not only satisfies the DMK, but also those formations in the state and elsewhere, including the PDP, the BJP, the CPI, the JKNPP and others, who have been demanding not only the Chief Minister's resignation but also a comprehensive CBI probe into the "murky" affair. In other words, they should reassure those demanding Omar Abdullah's head that they would see to it that the Chief Minister and the NC president, who enjoy unbridled powers, would not be allowed to influence, browbeat, blackmail and purchase the key eyewitnesses and tamper with the evidence. To be more precise, the men at the helm in New Delhi will have to ensure a free, fair and impartial inquiry by the CBI and they know the CBI could perform such a job only when the accused are held aloof from the position they hold. |
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