Corrupting the vote

The NDA, of course, is promptly trying to fish in troubled waters. The Bihar BJP has already declared its intention to start public agitation over the corruption issue, which they have no moral right to do. Just before the Lok Sabha elections, their close ally in Bihar and bitter opponent in neighbouring Jharkhand, the JD(U), inducted Dr Jagannath Mishra, a co-accused with Laloo Prasad in fodder scam cases in which he has been charge-sheeted by the CBI in at least three cases and is facing trial along with Laloo Prasad. Mishra was inducted in a huge conference in Patna where he was praised and garlanded by Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and also significantly the NDA convener George Fernandes. Mishra was fielded on a JD(U) ticket, as the NDA candidate in Bihar and his services were extensively utilised by Sharad Yadav in Madhepura constituency to turn Brahmin votes from Samata to himself. And the once all powerful BJP leader, Pramod Mahajan hunted out D P Yadav of western Uttar Pradesh to try and induct him into the BJP, although he had to reverse his decision after a public outcry.

Yet, this does not excuse this government. The case of Mohammad Taslimuddin deserves special mention, because he had been inducted as minister of state in United Front government under H D Deve Gowda in 1996 and had to be dropped in face of public criticism. Even in 1998, Taslimudddin was accused of kidnapping, dacoities, attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, rioting and obstructing public servants in discharging their duties. Matters came to a head when doctors, engineers, lawyers and no-gazetted employees and teachers of Araria town in Bihar went on strike because of his activities. Cases were registered, but Taslimuddin allegedly absconded. The police failed to execute the warrant of arrest and ultimately his property was attacked under court order. On the complaint of Taslimuddin, a Janata Party MLA then, the speaker of Bihar Assembly appointed an all party committee to enquire into the matter. The committee visited Araria, recorded evidence and significantly did not exonerate Taslimuddin, nor held him totally innocent, though it did make some mild observations against the local police. The criminal cases had to take their own course. What happened to those cases? Taslimuddin tells the media that the cases were a result of political vendetta and had nothing to do with his work as minister.

An anecdote is relevant here. On January 30, 2004, I was travelling on the Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express between Patna-Katihar-Kishanganj. Because of travel restrictions between Patna and Katihar or Kishanganj, there are always very few passengers from Patna because this train arrives there at an unearthly hour of 2 am. On the night of 30th, however, about hundred passengers, obviously all without valid tickets forced themselves into AC-2, AC-1 including the coach in which I was traveling. Taslimuddin was a part of that crowd. Some of them were carrying double barrel guns and were highly unruly . They even pushed some passengers off their seats. Even D P Yadav, a former Congress minister of state from Munger in Bihar, travelling in the adjacent cabin , was not spared. When the passenger protested, Taslimuddin came and argued on behalf of the hoodlums. The train superintendent, his deputies and others as usual wouldn’t intervene out of sheer fear. Taslimuddin and his followers got down somewhere between Katihar and Kishanganj.

In one of his first interviews given to the electronic media, the new railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said that safety of railway passengers will be one of his highest priorities. Perhaps he might remind his party colleague, Md Taslimuddin of his wishes.

Before the Lok Sabha polls, on April 18, President

A P J Abdul Kalam appealed to voters to exercise their franchise for a ‘‘safe India’’ an India with ‘‘nobility’’. One hopes that the president will not be disappointed by his new executives.

The writer is a former CBI officer and presently chairman of the Parliamentary Board of the Samata Party