By the time this column hits the ether, you'll have read
everything there's to read on the latest power-play by
Jayaram Jayalalitha. At the time of writing, headlines
run the gamut from "AIADMK moots new alliances" to
"Congress Ready To Form Government." It's obvious:
Rediff will be on the campaign trail very soon.
Whichever way the die falls, meaning, whether I'll be
writing from home or from Tihar, of one thing I'm
certain: the Shroud of Turin and the Great Wall of
Chennai have found common ground, viz, M Karunanidhi.
Forget the eyewash on Vishnu Bhagwat, Georgekaka and the
JPC; all the parties know that the sacked navy chief
cannot and will not be reinstated. The bottom-line is
that JJ needs to control the corruption cases against
her -- cases filed by the TN government. How can the
dismissal of Goggles not be paramount to all other
considerations? As for the Shroud, she had always
insisted that the CBI investigate the CM's role in the
assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Now, that issue will be
more than convenient for wrenching sympathy votes for a
poor widow tirelessly carrying forward her late
husband's selfless services to the nation... India is
nothing if not a nation of suckers.
Even so, I'm not a bit touched by what Moopanar bowls,
or from where the casteists and pinkos will field, or
how the Congress strategises, or if the BJP keeps a
straight elbow. It's normal contemporary politics, and
these players have varying degrees of legitimacy to be
on centrefield. For instance, whatever I may think of
Laloo or Mulayam, I still can't deny that they have an
army of citizens behind them...
However, that can't be said of the one trouper in this
sordid drama who manages to bring up all my bile:
Subramanian Swamy. I simply cannot understand how he can
be in a position to hold India at ransom. It shames me
that people with the ethics of a wall lizard can
influence the polity. It shames me that I have to
mention his name. It shames me that analysts should be
forced to dwell on the intricacies of tea parties...
This is not what the nation's founders had in mind when
they chose the model of Democracy.
Vir Sanghvi had once written that the Congress "giggled
helplessly when Subramanian Swamy declared that
Jayalalitha wanted him to be finance minister in a
Congress-led government." Spoken too soon. Since Swamy
last made use of his chosen area of specialisation --
the science of holding media conferences -- it's clear
that the Congress is giggling no more. For it's plain
that the Shroud can form a new government if only she
keeps the Great Wall happy. And for power, the Congress
can sell anything...
They say that the BJP is divided into a Vajpayee faction
and an Advani one. I don't know if that's true; seems
tricky. As an outsider, I've had little to reject about
the home minister; and I've sometimes been angered by a
scheme or utterance from the prime minister -- only to
conclude that it was the correct course, after all...
Both are highly intelligent and upright men, and haven't
ever come out against each other. Which makes me believe
that the Press has simply been trying to provoke a
dissension (the word for it in Bambaiya is "ungli").
However, at the moment, the grapevine says that Atalji
would like to compromise with the Great Wall whereas
Advaniji is stiffly against it. If so, then I'm wholly
Advani's gal. There *has* to be a limit to yielding.
There *must* be an end to concessions. The defence
minister of India cannot and should not be sold down the
river just to keep the corpulent corrupt in roses. And
if that costs the BJP governance -- so be it. I don't
think I could stomach George being humiliated simply
because it's the only way to stay in power. That is
wrong. That is the Congress way. It is not a matter of
weakening the party or the government. It's about
Ethics.
I must say, the events have made my adrenaline race in
strange directions: I don't much care what's about to
happen to the BJP -- one of the first lessons one learns
about politics is that nobody is indispensable: whoever
leads, India will go on. But I'm simply dying to know
how some allies will react. What is Chandrababu Naidu
going to do? Will he support a Congress government with
JJ and the turd as centrepieces? It would be a pity if
he does... Naidu's always struck me as an uncommon
politician. Let's face it, he's the only chief minister
who did anything good for his state this last year... In
December, when the Congress sponsored a censure motion
on price rise against the government, Naidu had
categorically stated that the TDP would not support any
move against the government. Will that still hold
true...?
And what about Farooq Abdullah? At various times, he's
come out as more to the right than the right! "We cannot
allow ourselves to be mute ducks in Pakistan's proxy war
in Kashmir." "Time has come when we must consider
resorting to harsh options to stop bloodshed of our
people. Enough is enough." "I K Gujral failed to stop
Pakistan in pursuing its nefarious plan to make people
of Kashmir fodder of their cannons"... No doubt, this
glib, urbane and savvy politico will never adopt a
collision course with the central government, whichever
that may be. But before that, which way will his vote
fall...?
As for Balasaheb Thackeray, there should be no doubts.
Even if his own party's days are numbered, he won't turn
coat on this issue (...I hope). The Trinamul's Mamata
Banerjee, who has also given many a sleepless night to
Atalji, seems an unlikely candidate to patch up with the
Shroud and become a CPI-M ally in Bengal. But, as they
say, politics makes strange bedfellows...
I mean, who'd have thought that a man who had been a
campaigner against nuclear weapons all his life, who had
fought against even nuclear power, who had studied for a
Catholic priesthood, would one day become a raging
advocate for the Indian bomb and the staunchest ally of
Hindu com-div-fundie forces...? I've been in love with
Georgekaka from go. Not for the way his forelock curls
onto his forehead, but because he's never said anything
I disagreed with. And I've disagreed with even Advaniji!
Last October, when I'd gone to see the Indian Army's
exhibit of weapons captured from Kashmiri terrorists,
I'd had a long chat with a cute young uniformed thing.
Some of his remarks stay with me -- in a cassette, mind
you: "George has raised the morale of army. He's come
[to the front] at least four times in 3 months. Others
didn't come in even 3 years. My soldiers are getting
used to seeing him, he's one of us. He eats what we eat,
he talks to us; hume sho-sha nahi karna padta... George
made an effort to find out what our problems are. Ek
baat kehni padegi, pehle-pehle, we were worried about
his leftist background -- our experience of them has not
been good. But this chap is a simple man, and he's also
hot-headed. We understand him. His clothes are rumpled,
he doesn't wear khadi. But he's our man. For the first
time we feel someone is looking after us." Case
khal-laas.
So who are the chief protagonists against George?
One, Swamy. But let the secularists speak... RSP leader
Abani Roy: "Two days ago, he was with the BJP. He signed
their national agenda. And now he is talking about
forming a secular front. Who will believe him?" CPI
secretary Atul Kumar Anjan: "He is an autonomous body in
himself, so he does anything that pleases himself. He
can sign on the national agenda for governance
formulated by the BJP one day and on the next he can
form a secular front."
Two, the Great Wall of Chennai. With corruption cases
filed against her by a "progressive" government. Jailed
for 28 days for having amassed wealth "disproportionate
to known sources of income," an estimated Rs 500 million
in alleged kickbacks. Had refused to concede the
Opposition's demand for an enquiry commission into the
Mahamagam incident when over 100 people died in a
stampede after Sasikala and she took a dip in the
Kumbakonam tank. Chose to order only an enquiry headed
by a revenue officer. Now wants a JPC for Bhagwat.
Three, the Shroud of Turin. Without being an Indian
citizen, became a director of, and took monthly wages
and bonuses from Maruti Udyog. Became an insurance agent
to earn millions as commissions on account of Maruti.
Controls the assets of the public-money-endowed Rajiv
Gandhi Foundation -- headed by foreign multinationals --
which blankly refused to have its accounts audited as
required by the authorities. (No need to mention the 'B'
and 'Q' words.)
Four, Vishnu Bhagwat. Interesting story: The CBI has
evidence to prove that the blacklisted arms agents,
Makalu Engineering Pvt Ltd (representing M/s Zarya
Corporation of Ukraine, the sole supplier of gas turbine
engines and its spares to the Indian Navy), had been
operating freely during Bhagwat's tenure as Chief of
Naval Staff. A confidential report sent to the ministry
of defence firmly established a link between Makalu and
Rear Admiral Suhas Purohit, acting chief of logistics,
and proved that Purohit had led three delegations to
Moscow where spares worth Rs 500 crore were contracted.
Two naval attaches, Commodore Ramsay and Commodore
Mathews, had sent reports to the then CNS, Vishnu
Bhagwat, stating that Purohit's delegations were
received by agents of Makalu and that they were present
during the meeting between Indian Navy officials and
their Russian counterparts. The report had taken serious
objection to their presence. Nothing was done.
The orders to initiate the CBI inquiry against Purohit
was made by former DM Mulayam Singh -- in December 1997.
He had also ordered Purohit's immediate transfer. The
question being asked is: Why did Vishnu Bhagwat stall
all attempts to initiate criminal proceedings against
Purohit despite overwhelming evidence of his involvement
with arms agents?
From all I've assimilated, the Bhagwat affair stinks.
The charges of communalism made by Niloufer, her claim
that her husband had to pay for her decision to oppose
the Shiv Sena, are mere diversions. There has to be a
good reason why the Congress made a half-hearted attempt
to stand by Bhagwat -- and made JJ the gofer... The
Purohit case is the first clear evidence of commissions
paid in defence deals since Bofors. It's big money at
work.
Ach! Why'm I talking about Bhagwat? His case has little
to do with the forthcoming storm -- the winds of which
began to whirl when that first bus left for Pakistan...
Ooh, the chair had begun to edge away... Oh well, enjoy
it, babe. I can't wait for when you have to meet the
Press... Everyday...