Appalling Brazenness

The CAG Vinod Rai has spoken the truth and therefore has committed an impropriety. This is the sum and substance of the response of Congress party.

Manish Tewari has discovered that Vinod Rai was also a bureaucrat in the government and therefore he is also guilty of what he is accusing others of. Abhishek Singhvi has gone one step further and wants to know how the CAG would feel if another constitutional authority, the Supreme Court makes an adverse observation about him! Tewari and Singhvi outdo each other in their instantaneous and predictably nonsensical reactions.

Is it Tewari's logic that anyone who was once part of the executive should never make any observation on its working? Singhvi ought to know that judiciary has every right and in fact duty to pass strictures on whoever plays foul. If the CAG does something inappropriate and thereby invites court's comments, the CAG would not be so touchy as to carry on a crusade against the judiciary. It is time the Congress spokesmen grew up and realised they need not act like buffoons to be in the good books of their netas.

India, then and now

The Hindu dated 8th Nov.,1962 reported as under:

"Krishna Menon quits

Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon’s resignation from the Central Cabinet has been accepted. Mr. Nehru made this announcement at an unprecedentedly well-attended meeting of the Central Congress Parliamentary Party on November 7. Mr. Nehru praised the services of Mr. Menon to the country and said he was a talented and intelligent person and had devoted all his energies to modernise the armed forces, which the country had inherited from the British, along scientific lines and according to the needs of free India. He also praised Mr. Menon’s efforts to step up defence production. Earlier in the day when the Party Executive discussed the subject, 21 members out of 34, solidly demanded Mr. Menon’s removal from the Cabinet. Mr. Nehru argued that along with Mr. Menon he himself could not escape the responsibility for whatever might have happened."

This was how the Congress party functioned when Nehru was the prime minister. It is worth noting that the party executive was bold enough to demand the resignation of a minister who had committed an error. Equally impressive is the fact that the prime minister held himself also accountable for the faux pas.

Contrast this with what the present-day worthies do. For example when A.Raja adopted devious ways for allotment of spectrum and perhaps lined a few pockets in the bargain, no one from the ministry uttered a word against him. The all-knowing prime minister gave him a clean chit. When Raja became an intolerable liability, Manmohan Singh started distancing himself. This 'conscientious' prime minister claimed he was not responsible even for PMO's deficiencies! Wrong-doings were attributed to 'coalition dharma'. I wonder if the British prime minister who is also leading a coalition government ever advances an alibi like this.

Jawaharlal Nehru was not a paragon of virtue. But compared to the economist-prime minister, he was an angel.

CBI official passes away

Suresh Kumar Palsania, a 44-year old official of CBI passed away on 8th November in New Delhi, apparently due to a blood disorder.

In normal course, this sad news would have been considered as an unfortunate development reminding us that we have no control over quirks of fate. This bold officer was investigating 2G scam and played a major role in filing of FIRs against Raja, Kanimozhi and others. Circumstances in the country are now so vitiated that we are tempted to see a conspiracy everywhere.

Coming as it does so soon after yesterday's pronouncement of the Supreme Court, it is a dreadful coincidence.

Supreme Court's SOS

Rajeshwar Singh, deputy director in the Enforcement Directorate is investigating the 2G scam under Supreme Court's monitoring. He has been harassed through multiple complaints against him lodged with ministries, MPs and a PIL filed in the Allahabad High Court.

The Supreme Court has taken serious note of this and has today commented, "If this is allowed to happen, then no one would be able to investigate the case. God has been very kind to Rajeshwar Singh. He is still alive!"

The Court has been pained to add,"It shows that it was done on the instructions of someone at the top in the hierarchy. We won't be surprised if that happens to anyone of us also". The court could not have been more bitter.

The Union Law Minister must be summoned by the Court and asked to explain what is happening. Perhaps the former Law Minister also has a lot to explain.

BJP in self-destruction mode

The Buffoons and Jokers Party has developed suicidal aspirations. Its President has managed to obtain a clean chit from an interested Chartered Accountant for all his murky business deals. The party (except some saner elements in it) claims there is no reason for Gadkari to resign. BJP should be ashamed to take a stand like this.

If Congress is corrupt and unethical, BJP is giving it a tough competition. These two national parties may as well get into a pact to apportion the nation into two halves between them and loot national wealth. After all what can the citizens do? They can protest or keep quiet. Either way, the parties are not going to mend their mendacious ways. Winston Churchill warned that Indians do not know how to govern. Congress and BJP are proving him right. 

What Abhishek Singhvi learnt from Gadkari

Though the leaders of Congress and BJP are adversaries in public, there is a lot of camaraderie among them in private. They help each other out in piquant situations.

Abhishek Singhvi was forced to keep away from media when his driver blew the whistle on his voyeuristic shenanigans. Singhvi got in touch with Nitin Gadkari to bail him out. Not one to let down his friends, Gadkari advised him to keep his Assistants, Barbers, Cooks and Drivers (ABCDs) in good humour by making them directors in his companies.

Singhvi had a small problem. He had not yet floated any company. "No problem", assured Gadkariji, "make them partners in your law firm". Singhvi pretended to be confused. His barbers, cooks and drivers were not qualified lawyers, how could they become partners in a law firm? He profusely thanked the BJP leader for his brilliant idea. He remembered that he had defended successfully many fake doctors in courts of law. Therefore what can prevent people who are not advocates from practising law? If they can practise, why can't they become partners in a law firm?

Singhvi felt ashamed that this noble thought had not originally occurred to him. 

Responsive Prime Minister

In our letter to prime minister, we wondered why Abhishek Manu Singhvi has not been made minister for Law and Justice. We are pleased that Manmohan Singh has responded with his typical celerity. Economic Times in its issue dt.3rd November reports, "Congress has brought back A M Singhvi, a former AICC spokesman mired in a controversial CD row, as one of the leaders to put forward the party view in the electronic media." AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi has confirmed this 'welcome' development.

You may ask why Singhvi was rehabilitated so fast whereas it took a long time for Shashi Tharoor to stage a comeback. As you know Congress is a 'principled' party. Duration of political isolation is inversely proportional to gravity of misdemeanour. Don't be surprised if K K Tiwari is brought back to political limelight in the near future. The country cannot afford to lose services of such eminent patriots for a long time.