A poor record

Congress President Sonia Gandhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the 83rd plenary of the Congress at Burari in New Delhi on December 20. - R.V. MOORTHY

The hallmark of the UPA-II government up to now has been the number of cases of corruption and dishonesty that have surfaced.

THE last year has not been a good one for the United Progressive Alliance II government. It achieved little; pathetically little when compared with UPA-I. The latter was politically weaker but it managed to get the India-United States nuclear agreement through, paving the way for the establishment of a number of much-needed nuclear power plants; it energised and tightened the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which, despite its critics, has been a major employment generator in the rural areas; and it waived an astonishing Rs.60,000 crore of farmers' debts. Besides, prices remained more or less in control and, in the face of the world-wide recession, the economy held together and even recorded a modest growth.

The story with UPA -II seems to be the opposite. It is politically stronger in that it is more free than the UPA-I to take major decisions, but has, oddly, taken none so far. This government will present its second budget this year: the first budget of this government was the 2010-2011 one. So, technically, it has not really had much time, but the indications appear to be dismal.

As far as one can tell, the only major steps that will be taken will be in the field of technical education; the momentum following the nuclear agreements and the lifting of most of the sanctions on India has been hardly noticeable. It is as if there is no interest left in the issue. In health care, there is nothing new that is generally known and accepted as forming a major initiative, neither is there anything major in agriculture. In fact, the hallmark of this government up to now has been the number of cases of corruption and dishonesty that have surfaced.

Leading the field is the 2G spectrum allocation scam, which actually belongs to UPA-I but reached crisis point now, with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) declaring officially that the loss to the public exchequer is in the order of Rs.1,76,000 crore. There has been the dishonest deal of the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai, the corruption-riddled Commonwealth Games, and numerous cases of thievery and dishonesty at the highest levels in many States.

The reaction to all this by the ruling Congress party has been baffling. At the plenary session of the party at Burari on the outskirts of Delhi in December, leaders declared in ringing tones that corruption would not be tolerated. They then went on to that silliest of arguments which has so far been the preserve of the Bharatiya Janata Party of pointing to the various failings of their opponents, as if that would make their own terrible record disappear. And has there been any action? Laughably little. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which began its investigation into the 2G spectrum allocation scam by filing a first information report against unknown accused, suddenly showed a little more energy and began questioning some people long after the acts of thievery had been committed and at a time when incriminating papers would have been got rid of. A few arrests were made, but in the popular perception they were seen as the fall guys.

All through all these developments, the Prime Minister maintained an inexplicable silence. The Opposition demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine this monumental corruption. Would it have been so dreadful if the government had agreed to it promptly? Never mind what it would have or would not have achieved. Did it not occur to the ruling UPA to demonstrate that all parties were united in their revulsion of this looting of public money? The UPA, however, was more concerned about not annoying the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

What will it take to get this government to jettison a political partner that is determined to shield those who stand accused of the most shocking instance of open theft? Does not the Congress have any scruples left? Congress president Sonia Gandhi was justifiably angry at the personal attacks made on the integrity of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She called these attacks despicable, and so they are. Manmohan Singh is known for his personal integrity not only in India but the world over. But surely Sonia Gandhi could see that the issue was not the attacks on Manmohan Singh's integrity but on his silence. Silence in many cases can be seen as complicity. Can anyone doubt that the Prime Minister was not aware of the thievery going on, and on this scale? Of all people this Prime Minister, who is extremely intelligent and has the courage to act on his convictions? One must mention another seemingly irrelevant matter here the reported conversation between the much publicised Niira Radia and Tarun Das, former director-general of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He is supposed to have referred to Kamal Nath, now Minister of Surface Transport, as taking a 15 per cent cut on every deal, but has apologised for it and called it idle chatter. Nonetheless, it points to an image this government has now acquired: of one that acquiesces in dishonesty and corruption, and when these are exposed it tries to cover up by getting the investigating agencies to go slow on the investigations, giving everyone involved all the time they need to get rid of evidence, and even arrest one or two fall guys.

This may well be and one would like to believe it is a totally wrong image. But it is an image that is there, out in the public domain. This is not something that the likes of Niira Radia can change; only firm, decisive and swift action can. Is that too much to ask the Prime Minister to do? Must he confine himself to token action such as the setting up of a committee under V.K. Shunglu, a former CAG, and giving it no powers at all and merely asking it to tell him what it thinks happened with the money spent on the Commonwealth Games?

As there is no doubt about Manmohan Singh's integrity, there is no doubt about his inability to take major action unless it is endorsed by Sonia Gandhi. If he does find that his integrity is being called into question not because anyone is saying he has taken money but because, knowing that some of his colleagues have, he is said to look the other way, then can he not tell Sonia Gandhi that he cannot be such a Prime Minister and leave? If he does, there is no doubt he will earn the respect of the country and of that person at whose shrine the Congress worships the aam admi.