Was PM right in terming Aiyars forebodings on CWG as 'purely ideological ' ?

The PM in an interaction with the media said that former Sports Minister Mani shankar Aiyar's letters to PM about CWG were "Purely ideological" . In fact  Aiyar warned him about the financial improprieties as early as 2007 through a spate of letters running to 63 pages,as has been recently exposed by a TV channel.But Aiyar did concede that his fault was that he did not carry conviction,as his primary concern was ideological.Aiyar did initially say, given the levels of poverty and under-development in the country, expenditure on the CWG appears wasteful.But in his subsequent letters to PM he has pointed out huge gaps between initial expenditure projections and the revised expenditure projections.He even sought a meeting with the PM to discuss about the "profligacy of CWG OC chairman Mr.Suresh Kalmadi " .Aiyar also says though his primary concern was idelogical, he also realised about the alarming financial impropriety and this was also conveyed in his letters to PM. Aiyar goes on to say "Everyone thought it was a personality clash" .But what is intriguing is that, despite Aiyar bringing his letters to the notice of the PM,Cabinet and GOM (group of ministers ),no body took his charges seriously and he was overruled in the GOM by the finance Minister.How can the FM turn a deaf ear to a complaint about extravagant spending against projections ?.Aiyar also said  since now the letters are in public domain,it will refresh the PM's memory. Aiyar says  the next step was he was sacked and Kalmadi was retained.Aiyar said he did not not want to share a cell with Kalmadi in Tihar jail.It is surprising that PM said his office has no mechanism to look into all minute details .In his letters Aiyar wrote Kalmadi violated all norms.Does not the PMO has mechanism to verify violation of norms ?It is also surprising that Aiyars letters did not get any reply from the PMO .The PMO's office also did put to cold storage Subramaniam Swamy's letters to PMO regarding 2G scams .The PMO replied Swamy only after court's intervention .Aiyar had also written a letter to PM’s Additional Secretary that he would initiate talks with Sonia Gandhi about the scam. But his efforts to convince Sonia also did not succeed.The VK Shunglu Committee which probed the CWG scam did mention about the letters  written by Aiyar to the PM, but the committee was silent on the PMO's silence .It must be borne in mind Aiyar was seeking PM's intervention to stop corruption in his own ministry.He was the Sports minister then.May be, the  PMO believed Aiyar's letters were  due to  a personality clash between him and Kalmadi.But it is an undeniable fact that the corruption in the run up to the CWG was known to the PMO ,but for some strange reason  PM was inactive.It may be noted that Aiyar did also send a letter to  then Finance Minister P Chidambaram giving all relevant details  of CWG Organising Committee (CWG-OC) chief Suresh Kalmadi violating norms, but it did not evoke any  action from Chidambaram. It is reported that Kalmadi managed to release funds directly from the Finance Ministry without even giving proper account of the expenses.Aiyar in his letter, addressed to Chidambaram on Dec 5, 2007, had requested the Finance Ministry to remove the Sports Ministry from the procedure of allotment of funds to the CWG Organising Committee.It is a pity PM ignored a spate of letters form his own ministerial colleague and when the shinglu comiittee tabled its report ,the Media advisor to the Prime Minister, Harish Khare, said "The Prime Minister has taken a serious view of the findings in the first report of the Shunglu Committee" .Was the PM trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted ?And when  the PM's media Advisor said the the report has been sent to Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar for "immediate examination", it was highly incongruous. 

Manmohan singh is often referred to as the architect of India's economic reforms.But of late he is seen as an avatar of inaction.Why is he not acting decisively ? Some time back in a meeting with media men, PM said there were coalition compulsions to explain about his in-actions in the 2G scam . But in CWG scam, a ministerial colleague from his own party  was doing everything possible to bring to his attention about an "gargantuan gap " between projections and actuals of CWG expenditure .Unfortunatley PM did not act on the warnings of his ministerial colleague.Fingers were pointed to PMO in 2G Scam Antrix,Devas deal ,appointment of CVC and now CWG scam .Will the PM call this also an error of judgement ?It is unfortunate a world renowned economist's ,clean image is taking a beating ,because of his inactions. Manmohan Sing per se may be honest .But as an honest person he should not have allowed persons to loot the nation.The PM wants public commendation for his honesty .But he is shying away to fight the corrupt lot around him. 

Probity not pertinent to Indian politicians

Of late one after the other many major political scams like the 2 G spectrum scam ,Adarsh housing scam and CWG scam have rocked the Indian politics and many heads have rolled.Going by the report of the Transparency International, this is not at all astounding.The report says Indian politicians are the most corrupt lot .We are not able to fight corruption in public life because the people who run the government are corrupt.A cursory glance of the assets disclosed by our legislators and Parlimentarians between two successive elections reveal the growth of their assets.Unfortunatley many political aspirants in our country considers politics as a career.The moment they consider it as a career,naturally a return is expected out of the career.The loot begins there and as a natural corollary the politician ensures he amasses enough to cover the cost of his next electoral battle.When a corruption is reported in the  public domain,the initial reaction by the concerned politician is always a denial. When he  runs out of defense,corruption charges are traded between the accused and the accuser to show the accuser is also not above board. Finally some probe or investigation is intitated and slowly blanked out.Once these scam tainted politicians become  oblivious they are gradually rehabilitated by the same party.

Arjun Singh was sacked as MP chief Minister for his involvement in Churhat lottery scam .Later he became congress Vice President, Governor and finally a Cabinet Minister.At one time Indira Gandhi astounded the nation by making a statement that corruption is no longer an issue in India because it is a universal phenomenon. It is no wonder Gandhiji even went to the extent of saying  "I would go to the length of giving the whole congress a decent burial, rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant." It must be remembered Gandhiji made this remark about congress ministries formed under the 1935 Act in six states in the pre-independent era.Corruption started in the post indpendent time with the 1948 jeep scandal of V.K.Krishna Menon the then High Commissioner for India in London.Jeeps were purchased for army operations in Kashmir violating the procedures.A comittee was appointed to probe the pruchase deals. In 1955 government announced the jeep scandal case was closed. In 1956 Krishna Menon was made a  central minister without portfolio by Nehru.

T.T.Krishnamachari finance Minister in the Nehru cabinet was involved in the Mundhra scam.He pressurised the government owned LIC to bail out industrialist Mundhra by buying shares worth Rs 1.24 crores in 6 companies owned by him.LIC followed the FM's instructions ,bypassing the investment committee.Ironically this was raked up in parliament then by Feroze Gandhi, Prime Minister Nehru's son-in-law and the father-in-law of current Congress President Sonia Gandhi.Nehru ordered a probe headed by Justice M.C.Chagla.Unlike the present day probes,the probe hearings  were public and proceedings were aired through loud speakers. Mundhra was imprisoned for 22 years and TTK was sacked.

The Bofors scandal was exposed by The Hindu in the 80's.The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply guns to Indian military.Quattrocchi an Italian businessman was reportedly close to the family of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and emerged as a powerful broker between big businesses and the Indian government.In 2004 the Delhi High Court quashed the charges of bribery against Rajiv Gandhi and others.The Italian businessman does not  figures in the CBI's list of wanted persons now.

The DMK chief Karunanidhi was indicted by the Sarkaria commission for corruption in allotting tenders for the Veeranam project.The AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha was convicted for criminal breach of trust and for  illegally acquiring government property belonging to TANSI, a state-run agency, and sentenced her to five years' imprisonment.The conviction disqualified her from contesting the 2001 elections.She appealed agaisnt the snetence in SC.While the appeal was pending in SC her party romped the elections and she became the CM.But the SC ruled a person who is convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for a period of not less than two years cannot be appointed the Chief Minister of a State .Her appointment as CM was held null and invalid and she had to step down.But SC acquitted her finally for lack of evidence.

Sukh Ram was then Union communication Minister in the congress government.He allegedly collected bribe for awading a telecom contract.The CBI seized 3.6 crores cash from his residence in 1996.In 2009 the court convicted him for amassing 4.25 crores of disproportanate assets.

The then BJP President Bangaru Lakshman,along with Jaya Jaitley, companion of the then Defence Minister George Frenandez was caught by the Tehelka sting operation accepting bribe .As a result Fernandez had to resign as defence minister.But the investigations later absolved George Frenandez.

The Lalu Prasad government in Bihar was involved in a scandal on alleged embezzlement of about 950 crores from the government treasury .They fabricated vast herds of fictitious livestock .Medicines and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured for these livestock.

The SNC-Lavelin was another scam that rocked the communist government in Kerala.The CAG report charged  the CPM led government of the mid-1990s for a Rs 374.50 crore loss to the exchequer.Former CPM Minister Pinaray Vijayan was allegedly involved in this scam.The CAG found that Lavalin was only a consultant intermediary and not the original equipment manufacturer .Owing to various technical defects in the equipment, the generation of power could not be maintained even at the pre-renovation level and the Board had to spend on repairs.The CAG found that the Government did not receive Rs 89.32 crores out of the grant of Rs 98.30 crores that was promised for the Malabar Cancer Centre.

The UP chief Minister Mayawati was charged with corruption in the Taj Heritage Corridor scam.This project was meant to upgrade the tourist facilities near Taj Mahal at a cost of Rs 175 crores in 2002-03.It is alleged Mayawati has embezzled the money allotted for this project.CBI is investigating the case.It is alleged her bank account has swelled to 2.5 crores during her tenure at that time.Also her total assets was estimated at 15 crores then.The project is now defunct.

Telgi was involved in the fake stamp paper case.It was alleged he earned a monthly profit of over 200 crores. During his narco analysis test Telgi is said to have blurted the name of Sharad Pawar.the NCP chief.Though he was never connected with the case Pawar had to make a public denial.

Amar singh then with Smajwadi Party  and Ahmed Patel  of Congress were charged with accusation of buying votes for 30 million rupees to survivie a no confidence motion against the UPA government.But the comittee that inquired the charges finally exonerated them.

Madhu Khoda former Jarkhand CM was charged with laundering Rs 4000 crores in 2003.His alleged assets include hotels and 3 companies in Mumbai,property in kolkatta,a hotel in Thailand and a coal mine in Liberia.It was also alleged Maoists recieved 30 percentage share of Khoda's plunder.Khoda is now spending his time in jail.

The most recent ones are Sasi Tharoor's IPL connections, Kalmadi's CWG scam, Ashok Chavan's Adarsh Scam, Yediyurapa's Land scam and Raja's 2 G spectrum scam.

India should again go for public hearing of scam tainted ministers, the way Mundhra scam was probed by Chagla. At least that will instill a sense of shame to the concerned person.One fourth of our  MPS are facing criminal chages,reprimands from courts and criminal convictions.Mohamed Shorabudeen an MP from Bihar is facing charges of murder, bank robbery and kidnapping. These days political parties require the support of musclemen to fight elections.Initially they were in side lines.Now they have started staking claims.

But one statisfying factor is there were few upright politicians who were honest and stood for their principles. Morarji,Kamaraj Madhu Dandavate,and V.N.Gadgil were never accused of any corruption.Even among today's politicians there are few of them who lead a simple life and are not ostentatious.It is reported the present Defence Minister A.K.Antony is leading a simple life and has a clean image.Despite finding fault with A.Raja on the spectrum scam ,Subramanyam Swamy has gone on record that Manmohan singh is clean and has no connection with the scam.He says Manmohan singh's efforts only has engineered Raja's exit.He was not the deciding authority and had some limitations.The CPI MP D.Raja is also believed to be leading a very simple life and very honest .There may be some more who belong to this category.But unfortunatley the percentage of such parlimentarians are very meagre.One would hope for the day the entire parliament is filled by people like them. One sincerely hopes Probity does not become oxymoron to the the Indian Politicians.