It is Manmohan’s call

Manmohan Singh had a point. The BJP leaders were no less guilty than those held on charges of murder because hundreds lost their lives in the wake of the masjid’s demolition. How was the action of Advani, Joshi or Uma Bharti different from that of rioters who killed the innocent? However, there’s a certain logic to Manmohan Singh’s argument. It applies just as well to his own party colleagues and allies in the United Progress Alliance government. True, the BJP leaders cannot escape the odium of their guilt. Nor can the prime minister justify the inclusion of Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, Taslimuddin and some others from the Rashtriya Janata Dal in the central cabinet.

Taint is taint. It does not go away because the ruling party has overlooked it. Woe to the effort which is not backed by courage to behead the symbols of criminalisation in whichever party they are. One can understand the protest of a minister who has been wrongly framed. Many chief ministers settle their scores by initiating false cases. But this argument does not apply to the cases of some RJD ministers. Frankly speaking, I did not expect Manmohan Singh to compromise on the matter of criminal cases. It is apparent that he was under pressure because of the coalition dharma. But the fact is that the support of 23 RJD members was crucial to the Congress to form the government. Without them, it could not have reached the magical figure of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Yet, not long ago, the Congress had itself laid a principle of sorts: it wanted to go it alone and refused to form the government with the support of Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Yadav when he insisted on sharing power.

Since then, the Congress has come to terms with the demands of coalitionists so as to occupy the gaddi. It realises that it has to make compromises. But the question is whether the Congress should have gone to the extent of inducting criminals for obtaining power. At least, Manmohan Singh should have been firm since he is not the type who bargains for power. Should he have sacrificed his principles at the altar of power? Recently, pressures have been brought on him on the Telgi stamp scam. A confession before the CBI has implicated some high-ups in the Congress and its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party. The prime minister is believed to have said that the law must take its own course.

If he can be so firm over the Telgi stamp scam, where his own party men are reportedly involved, why can’t he suggest to RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav and other tainted ministers to stay out of the government till the cases against them are sorted out? Laloo Yadav cannot afford to join hands with the BJP-backed combination. At worst, there will be fresh elections. If the Manmohan Singh government falls on principles, the Congress would come back with greater strength. Manmohan Singh’s clarion call from the ramparts of the Red Force for a code of ethics for all individuals in public life is admirable. But it will not go down well if Taslimuddin gloats over his “triumph” after the Bihar government, headed by Laloo Yadav’s wife, withdraws one out of nine case against him.

But even as we say this, it must be stated that the BJP has no face to criticise the UPA on this issue. It had forged an alliance during the Lok Sabha polls with Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, knowing well that there were numerous cases of corruption against her. Yet the Congress beats them all by giving a ministerial berth to Taslimuddin. Even the faceless Deve Gowda government did better when it dropped him after his criminal record came to the fore.

That political parties should evolve a code of conduct is obvious. But when they have tried to do this in the past, they only end up violating it before the ink dries. For example, the earlier code stated that MPs would disclose their assets and that of their spouse before entering Parliament. Hardly anyone did, until there was legislation forcing candidates to declare their assets before filing their nomination. The tragedy is that when the purpose of political parties gets reduced to capturing power they use any method, including fielding criminals.

The fact of the matter is that too much power has come to be concentrated in the hands of the government. This will need to be dispersed if the process of cleansing has to begin. Also, some steps will have to be taken to curb patronage which the ruling party comes to acquire. Both the Congress and the BJP go haywire in their appointments when they are in power.

In any case, what is the sanctity of the code of ethics? Parliament has adopted a code of behaviour repeatedly. One vow taken was that Question Hour would not be disturbed. The Congress took the lead in violating it in the last Parliament session. The BJP has done it this time. When political parties are reluctant to follow the code reached on such small matters, how will they agree not to field a criminal when they know that he may win because of the fear he instills in the minds of voters? I think that the moral aspect is central to whatever course the political parties take. Manmohan Singh should know this more than others because he has lived by certain standards and values.