Politics is the business of expediency, and running a government is a game of chess, where queen is protected till the very end. And this is ensured by sacrificing pawns, who fortify the palace. The UPA government and its approach to dealing with scams prove this basic philosophy of governance that I heard while growing up in the politically conscious Bihar. The case of former Union coal secretary PC Parakh in the coal scam is not only curious but perhaps a sad commentary as well.
PC Parakh had generally been hailed as an honest bureaucrat till his retirement in 2005 and considered an early whistleblower of the coal scam much before the Comptroller and Auditor General of India made the scam public in March 2012. Parakh was the man, who resisted the obsolete policy of first-come-first-served for allocation of coal blocks and favoured a policy of transparent system of auction of coal blocks/mines.
Now, it is in public domain that in July 2004, PC Parakh had warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about a possible scam if the old policy of coal block allocation was followed. Parakh registered his opposition to the existing method of coal block allocation in writing, categorically saying that the award of captive coal blocks could result in windfall profits for the beneficiary corporate houses. If still not less than 142 coal blocks were allocated under Manmohan Singh’s nose, where is the question of culpability of Parakh? Clearly, he was overruled by the Prime Minister or his office.
Incidentally, PC Parakh had also strongly objected to and lodged a protest with the Prime Minister against political interference in the coal ministry and the intrusive role played by the then-minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao. There is no doubt that Parakh tried his best in the capacity of coal secretary to prevent what turned out to be a coal scam. But his political masters ignored him.
It should also be recalled that PC Pararkh’s successor in the coal ministry as secretary, HC Gupta had taken cue from Parakh and continued opposition to the existing policy of coal block allocation. It is again in the public domain that on April 7, 2006, HC Gupta strongly opposed, at a meeting held in PMO, the manner in which coal blocks were being allocated. He said that there was no legal basis for allocation of coal blocks by a screening committee as was being done then. It is no surprise that Gupta is also facing investigation for his alleged involvement in the coal scam.
This takes us to the moot point that all the pawns and commanders are being sacrificed in the hope to save the king. Now, one the valiant commanders has threatened to reveal the fortified secrets of the kingdom in an unambiguous signal to the king and the kingmaker that he is not okay with the idea of becoming the sacrificial lamb for the safety of the throne. That, the commander will not go without offering a fight.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments.