Spare Sachin this shame

But let’s take a look at the hard facts. First, the Government didn’t break any rule for Tendulkar. A duty waiver is well within the powers of the Government. And Sachin is certainly not just anybody that his case didn’t merit a special tag.

Second, if Sachin earns a lot, it doesn’t come from the national exchequer and he pays full income tax on it as the Government has already withdrawn the exemption on income tax for cricketers.

Thirdly, in cold monetary terms, Sachin means a lot of forex for India through cricket. Fourthly, he has not yet, not till this Ferrari waiver, accepted any Government favour — not even a plot of land which most other cricketers have got in their respective states.

This is the first gesture shown by the Centre to Sachin after he crossed Don Bradman’s record. So what justifies this controversy? Are we so desperately in want of issues or plain jealous? If Sachin makes money, he goes through the grind to earn every rupee of it. Our priorities are so misplaced we always end up barking up the wrong tree. Many of us know five star hotels can import foreign cars at a nominal duty of 5 per cent for promoting upper end tourism. Many hotel owners take advantage of this and import cars for personal use or to sell.

It’s a pity that real culprits go unnoticed while we seek easy targets in celebrities. In fact, I was the team manager in England when Sachin had gone to receive this prize from Michael Schumacher and I was so proud of his achievements I personally took up the matter with the Finance Minister for duty exemption. Which is well within the provisions of the Customs Act.

Ram’s epic turn on Rajiv

It’s high time that political parties avoided levelling allegations without substance. A certain basic accountability should be ensured at all cost. We all know how corruption charges always fascinate our middle class and earn instant dividend when levelled against politicians of repute. We know how Rajiv Gandhi lost elections because of those fictitious scandals. Not only elections, he eventually lost his security, which probably led to his assassination.

Thirteen years after his assassination, the former prime minister’s big vindication came from none other than one of his archrivals, Ram Jethmalani. On the floor of Parliament, Jethmalani stunned many when he declared Rajiv was victimised by irresponsible politics and that there was no legal base for a case against him in the Bofors issue. Parliament fell silent.

For many, it was an emotional moment. Similarly, the other corruption charge against Rajiv fell flat when the CBI stated that after probing the Air Bus 320 purchase deal for 15 long years, it found no evidence to suggest any irregularities or abuse of official position or payment of any kicback amount. August 20 was Rajiv’s 59th birthday and finally his name stands clear of the stigma of corruption.

Shabana sets examples

In the crowd of over 500 members in Parliament, a few stand out. While the nominated MPs often attract attention for their star value, many of them remain in the shadow of hardcore politicians. But not Shabana Azmi. She used the highest democratic forum with welcome enthusiasm and made her heard when it came to issues like social justice or women’s right.

The Rajya Sabha will feel Shabana’s absence when her six-year-stint comes to an end on August 26. If anything makes Shabana a misfit among the run-of-the-mill politicians, it’s her exemplary sense of dignity and propriety. No wonder then that she is vacating her government bungalow on August 26. What’s more, during her stay, she has got even the servants’s quarters — a forgotten zone for most MPs — refurbished.

The author is a Congress MP