End the doubts

If the perception gains ground hereafter that the dignity and credibility of the countrys top anti-corruption watchdog has been irreparably eroded,the UPA government must take the blame for ensuring that perception with its screaming defence of the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner CVC and the eligibility of the man. The office of the CVC has been besmirched,perhaps beyond immediate retrieval,by not just Thomass refusal to step down but also the governments continuing attempt at brazening it out. The governments response to the Supreme Courts doubting of Thomas may yet be the final nail.

Things didnt come to this pass overnight. The UPA first of all erred in appointing an individual already crossed by the shadow of controversy,whom the law has since begun scrutinising once more,with the resumption of the 1991 Kerala palmolein import case wherein Thomas is an accused. There is no reason to presuppose Thomas guilty. However,his career was obviously a problematic qualification for the job: he was also A. Rajas telecom secretary and had to infamously recuse himself from overseeing the investigation into the 2G spectrum allocation perhaps the biggest case the CVC would have confronted. The UPA has presided over these gigantic dimensions of the unprecedented. In the interest of the nation,the CVCs post,and the national political climate,the UPA should immediately step back and stop defending Thomas appointment. The government has,instead,gone on the offensive,harping on the adequacy of the majority view in the appointment,insisting the leader of the oppositions dissenting doesnt count. When did consensus come to mean majority? Its to be suspected this arrogance too stems from the UPAs blindness to the existence of an opposition and its inability to recognise it. Therefore,it has matched its refusal to budge on the JPC with its intransigence on the CVC,making a spectacular and dangerous mess.

While the opposition is equally to blame for the washed-out winter session in Parliament and the uncertain fate of the budget session,the executive cannot evade full responsibility for the Thomas impasse. How will the UPAs proposed clean-up operation raise enthusiasm now? Just one monumental paradox of the CVC saga should serve to illustrate how untenable the governments position is: even as the UPA tells the SC not to worry about Thomas,it knows that this CVC cannot preside over the 2G probe,and thus urges the apex court to monitor it. If that doesnt burn a hole in its defence of Thomas appointment,what will?