The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION' - The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION' Hypocrisy of Politicians & Media

The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION'

Hypocrisy of Politicians & Media

That Bharatiya Janata Party National President Nitin Gadkari had to quit on grounds of 'taint' and charges of 'corruption' against him. It is an internal matter of the Party. The common man is not concerned with it. The rightness or otherwise of the decision will be determined in the days and months to come when the Party faces the electorate in the important State assemblies of Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka and the like later this year.

But what does the 'taint' and 'corruption' stand for? It cannot be the exclusive monopoly of the media and the politicians to brand anybody they oppose as 'tainted' or 'corrupt'. It is the same situation as is with 'secularism' and 'communalism'.  Every politician and political party claims itself to be 'secular' and, at will, dubs opponent as 'communal'. To a great extent the same is true with 'tainted' and 'corrupt'.

Our media and politicians have adopted different norms and standards to brand people and organizations as 'communal' and 'corrupt'. There is no denying the fact that the late Rajiv Gandhi was, directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, involved in the Bofors scam. Successive police investigations failed to nail his involvement yet the fact remains that the `64-crore Bofors corruption case was a reality although everybody involved got scot free.

Similarly, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were communal in all its hue and for all intents and purposes. Sikhs are a minority community. Everybody recognizes this fact. In the aftermath of the unfortunate assassination of late prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, more than 5,000 Sikhs – and Sikhs alone – were killed (more than 3,000 in Delhi alone) only in Congress-ruled States all over the country. In States with non-Congress regimes the Sikhs remained safe and protected. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi himself justified the pogrom saying "when a big tree falls the earth shakes".  Yet, he remains the icon of 'secularism'.

 

There are numerous leaders who are facing criminal charges in various courts – like fodder scam, murder, rape, extortion, assets beyond known sources of income and corruption. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is facing criminal charges for his alleged involvement in fodder scam. BSP supremo Ms Mayawati and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav are facing criminal cases for allegedly having accumulated assets beyond known sources of income. Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal had leveled charges not only against Mr. Nitin Gadkari but also against present Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh, 15 Union ministers including Prime Minister. The latter is involved in Coal scam too. Mr. Kejriwal has also levelled charges, more serious in nature than against Mr.  Gadkari also against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. Yet, the media and politicians have reserved the epithet 'tainted' and 'corrupt' only for Gadkari and not against all those similarly placed and involved. Why? Can they explain it? 

The media is no exception. It too is not free from similar allegations. The Election Commission of India has expressed concern over allegations of paid news against certain newspapers and news channels. It has characterized this new phenomenon as a crime and threat to the spirit of  freedom of press. There is a case involving alleged extortion against a news channel. But, surprisingly, nobody uses the words 'tainted' and 'corrupt' against these members of the Fourth Estate. 

When certain Union ministers in Manmohan government were facing serious charges involving heinous crimes, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress took the stand that nobody can be held guilty unless he has been declared so by any court of law. But, in the case of leaders in the opposition the Congress stand is quite the opposite. 

Do double standards enhance the credibility of  our politicians and the media and promote country's good?

On allegations about Ambani brothers' Swiss bank accounts by Kejriwal UPA & Media on same wavelength

Allegations about Ambani brothers' Swiss bank accounts by Kejriwal

UPA & Media on same wavelength 

Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party cannot just be dismissed as an irresponsible individual of no consequence. When he made allegations against BJP President Nitin Gadkari the Congress-led UPA government took these as gospel of truth immediately going into action, raiding certain concerns connected with him and demanding his resignation from the Party. In about two months, despite best efforts the government has, so far, failed to come out with any concrete evidence against him or arrive at any conclusion on the allegations. Obviously, keeping the issue hanging, in the long run, serves the Congress political and electoral interests.

But it is quite a different story as far as Kejriwal's disclosure of the account numbers of Ambani Brothers in Swiss banks is concerned. It must remain one of the rarest of the rare cases in which the matter ended just with the offices of the Ambani brothers, separately, denying the allegation and the Congress instead of going into the concrete details about the bank accounts asked, on the contrary, Kejriwal to present further evidence. One wonders is the account number not sufficient to initiate an inquiry?

More surprising is the attitude of the media which every now and then keeps alive the allegations, so far not proved, to demand Gadkari's resignation but has felt completely satisfied with the denial of the allegations by Ambani brothers. One has not heard anything about the matter from the day the allegations surfaced and instant denial by Ambanis. Media is now treating the matter as closed for all intents and purposes. Had it been some other individual or politician, media would have been in race to post-mortem the truth about the allegations as a part of what it claims to be its unchallenged right to 'investigative journalism'.

It is not the first of the case in which persons complained against have denied the allegations in so many words. But media has never taken such denials on their face value. It burns midnight oil to prove the denials wrong, as it had done, in the past, in a number of cases.

It remains beyond comprehension why has the media and the UPA government closed any inquiry into the serious Kejriwal disclosures about Ambani brothers' Swiss accounts just on their simple denials and not went ahead with investigations?

There is no gainsaying the fact that the ruling party is always not impartial and has its own political and electoral axe to grind, like in the cases against BSP chief Miss Mayawati and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. But what has sent our media blind, deaf and dumb on the allegations against Ambani brothers because, otherwise, it claims to be free, fearless and impartial. But is it so in the case of Ambani brothers? The doubt persists. The media owes an explanation to the people.