Really, Mr Kumar?

The transfers of income-tax officials by the Ministry of Finance just as the assessment of Jayalalitha8217;s income-tax liabilities approaches completion is simply too much of a coincidence. Even more of a coincidence is the alleged hand in them of the AIADMK8217;s man in this ministry without so much as a nod in the direction of the Union Finance Minister or even the Revenue Secretary. What credibility to attach to Minister of State R.K. Kumar8217;s statement that the transfers are part of a 8220;routine annual exercise8221; and that they are for the 8220;good of the system8221;? Since when have transfers on this scale in a hush-hush, overnight operation been an annual exercise? And perhaps the minister would care to explain how they are for the good of the 8220;system8221;, unless in a touching display of faith in his leader he equates her good with the good of the system? Politicians are supposed to be accountable for their actions, and these do not become 8220;good8221; simply because they happen to think or say so.

The truth is not fullyout in the matter but the circumstantial evidence against bona fide motivation in this action is so strong that it certainly merits a thorough investigation. The known facts are quite overwhelming. Jayalalitha8217;s assessment apart, the transfers have occurred in the wake of a high-court notice to the ministry on the basis of a public-interest litigation which fears exactly that such transfers may occur. Most of the officials who have been transferred were nowhere near completing their tenure as specified in the rule book. Is it too much to infer that the action might have been a step to preempt a move by the court to forbid such transfers before the assessment was complete? Maybe. But the onus is now on Kumar to prove that this is so. He will have to do better than wash his hands of the matter by imperiously declaring that what has happened is good, that he is 8220;not concerned8221; about the transfers or that they are the work of junior officials.

Kumar aside, this is a matter that will have a strong effect onthe legitimacy of the BJP government itself. It is no secret that the party has had to perform extremely clumsy contortions to keep its difficult partner happy. Recognising the inherent difficulties of the present political situation, a large number of people have been willing to look upon all this relatively indulgently as the inescapable compulsions of a government so fragile. But this sympathy does not, and should not, extend to condoning an indication that the BJP would be willing to wink at a grave subversion of the system to save its ally8217;s skin, leave alone destroy the bureaucracy8217;s morale for merely doing its job. The BJP would be wrong to think that it could distance itself from the action by shrugging it off as the business of the minister concerned 8212; and Yashwant Sinha in any case is the man in charge of the ministry 8212; or because associated with the move is a minister of a different party. Certainly an investigation of what has happened would lead to difficulties between the BJP and the AIADMK,but that is the allies8217; problem. The country expects an answer to why and how these transfers took place.