Tom 038; Jerry show

When Amarinder came to power in February 2002, he began an 8216;8216;anti-corruption drive8217;8217;. The Akalis saw it as a 8216;8216;witch hunt8217;8217;. Not just Badal, even his wife Surinder Kaur and son Sukhbir were accused of corruption. Nine former Akali ministers were implicated, some of them arrested. With Amarinder declaring he would send Badal to prison, Punjab waited for the inevitable.

EIGHT months later, the case is almost forgotten. The next date of hearing is July 23, when the matter of framing of charges against Badal will come up. Today, Badal, Sukhbir and wife Surinder are out on bail.

But almost every time an election nears, the Congress promises charges against Badal. Just before the Lok Sabha election, Amarinder announced Badal would be chargesheeted. A day before the SGPC election on July 11, the case came up before a Ropar court.

The Punjab vigilance bureau had tabulated the properties of the Badal family at Rs 4,326 crore. It had filed a challan against Badal, his wife and son and three family associates.

According to A.P. Pandey, state vigilance chief, 8216;8216;The estimated market value of the assets is Rs 4,326 crore.8217;8217; This includes inland assets worth Rs 501 crore and overseas properties valued at 850 million Rs 3,825 crore. Badal8217;s counter is firm: 8216;8216;In case even one rupee or one inch of land is found to be possessed by the Badal family in a foreign country, I will quit politics.8217;8217;

Badal had earlier filed a defamation suit against Amarinder for alleging he owned properties worth Rs 3,500 crore. Sukhbir claims the entire vigilance chargesheet was prepared so Amarinder could use it defend himself in the defamation case.

Clearly, in the great land called Punjab, litigation is politics by other means.

THE run up to the filing of the challan against the Badal family had the state on its toes. In October 2003, all Badal properties were raided, measured and videographed. Pictures of Sukhbir holding his children8217;s toys indicated the extent to which the vigilance team went. And wherever it went, the Akali shouting brigade turned up too.

But the most intriguing case was that of Hardeep Singh Bhamra, Badal8217;s OSD. Bhamra8217;s house was raided and he disappeared. His whereabouts are still not known and he has been declared a fugitive. It has been alleged that the Badals helped him escape abroad.

Politically the case seems to have generated some sympathy for Badal, reflected in the crowds that greeted him on his release on December 10, 2003. The Akalis also bested the Congress in the Lok Sabha poll.

So where does this leave the specific legal cases against Badal? Is the former chief minister guilty or is he not? Is Amarinder framing him or is he not?

What8217;s the bet you8217;ll never find out?