Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi is getting into the unpleasant tabloid habit of promising to reveal all and revealing nothing. Even as his white paper on corruption is impatiently awaited, he has announced his intention to investigate links between politicians and criminals in Maharashtra. Daring as this seems, it is only so much hogwash. It is widely believed many politicians have friends in the underground and vice versa. Were these connections to be truthfully and comprehensively exposed, it would shake the whole political establishment to its foundations. It goes without saying, the Shiv Sena leader has no such purpose in mind. If he had been galvanised into action some months ago by the killings in broad daylight of labour leader Datta Samant and later industrialist Vallabh Thakkar, Joshi's earnestness may not have been questioned. But he was content to do nothing then or again when a former Congress chief minister Sudhakar Naik testified before the Srikrishna Commission about the nexus.How does Joshi propose to improve on the N.N. Vohra report, which had something to say on the subject but only of a very general nature and provoked no action in Maharashtra or elsewhere? By a high-level inquiry conducted by a lowly police or home department official. Assuming someone willing to put his head in the noose can be found, will he or she get the full cooperation of the government? Joshi's government, it will be recalled, claimed privilege when withholding information from the courts. Will a humble government servant be able to demand and get access to secret files?The only explanation for Joshi's sudden zeal, which has surprised his own colleagues in the ruling SS-BJP coalition, is gamesmanship. Sharad Pawar may be his intended target. There may be scores to settle with members of his own party. Either way, it is a political stunt and will have no credibility. Ill-conceived schemes sometimes produce worthwhile results by triggering off a chain reaction. In this case it would involve politicians and criminals spilling the beans on each other. But the fear of just such a possibility will ensure that powerful politicians squash the exercise before it is begun.If Joshi is serious about cleaning up politics in Maharashtra, he should set himself modest, achievable targets, to begin with. Two are within his reach. One is the selection of party candidates for local body and Assembly elections. Not every `history-sheeter' is a proven criminal. On the other hand, persons with serious criminal records often go scot free, win party tickets and elections. Joshi can encourage his own party to adopt some minimum standards in choosing its candidates and persuade other parties to do likewise. Secondly, his government must give up its propensity to interfere in police investigations and demonstrate its commitment to the law by bringing to justice all wrong-doers. These are not glamorous, attention-getting projects but will do more to improve the government's image and law and order in the State than all his proposed white papers and reports put together.
