| Published on 27-06-2007 In National |
| Viewed 1425 times |
| The first casualty of the presidential polls |
|
|
Written by
Cho Ramaswamy |
The term "Maya" that denotes worldly things also means magic – a word that is an apt description of the events that have resulted in the disappearance of the First Information Report registered against UP Chief Minister Mayawati and its natural consequence – action that ought to have been initiated against her by Governor Rajeshwar.
Like all soap operas, this one too needs a recap.
Here goes…
During her earlier avatar as the CM, Mayawati had attempted to divert the waters of the Yamuna River and build a commercial complex in the reclaimed land.
Her critics alleged that this was a corrupt move fraught with the danger that it would mar the beauty of the Taj Mahal. The stillborn plan was aborted.
The enquiry took a strange turn when the current coalition arrangement came to power at the centre. Sensing that Mayawati would be a 'useful ally' in the near future, the Congress-led regime ensured that the Central Bureau of Investigation proclaimed a 'verdict' that there were no sufficient grounds to prosecute Mayawati.
The matter reached the Supreme Court.
The Central Vigilance Commission told the Apex Court that it had found enough reason to go after Mayawati and her mandarins mired in corrupt practices. The judiciary thought that a huge scandal was being given a shallow burial and asked the CBI to dig up the facts.
Since it had no other go, the CBI sought the leave of the UP Governor during the last days of the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.
Before anyone could say chargesheet, Mulayam lost power to Mayawati.
The Congress needed the help of the effervescent UP politician during the presidential elections.
The fact that the Governor had already attempted to unsettle Mulayam at the behest of the centre is an interesting aside to this tale.
Short of shouting abracadabra and its accompaniment of farcically magical spells, the gubernatorial occupant did everything else.
Thanks to this effort, every trace of the case disappeared.
Since he did not have "enough and appropriate evidence" to proceed against Mayawati, he denied permission to the CBI.
The case of corruption became the first casualty of the presidential elections.
Mayawati is not a person who does things by half. She publicly pronounced that she was willing to play ball with the central government on the issue of backing its presidential candidate.
Henceforth, it will be difficult to prove a quid pro quo by connecting the case against Mayawati and the presidential poll.
After all, the central government helping the corrupt to beat the rap is not new news. Such liberal practices are indeed part of our lore.
Cut to the present…
It would be pertinent to remind everybody that the disappearance props of during magic shows are not permanent because it is only a clever sleight of hand. Usually, they are retrieved after the spell of the spectacle ends.
Once the magic show at the centre – euphemistically called a coalition government ends, the prop of the temporarily vanished action against Mayawati will crop up again. Or for that matter, if somebody files a PIL, the courts may resurrect the case.
Till then, as mere paying public in this show called democracy, we have to applaud the conjurer's skills.
(Translated from Thuglak by TSV Hari)
|
|
|
|
|
| Social Web |  |
| |
|
|
| |
Processing please wait ...
Top Stories
