Raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against influential politicians have raised alarm bells in Opposition circle that none would be spared and the law is going to catch up finally with each of them. While those being investigated may grudge and try to create an impression of political vendetta, people are with Modi. They want to see action from a Prime Minister who had said he would not spare anyone.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, son in law Robert Vadra, her close confidante and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, his son Kartik Chidambaram are all facing serious charges of fraud and corruption. Although slow, the law is inching closer. The message is loud and clear that the Government means business and would not spare the guilty.
No amount of slogan shouting or protests on the street can force the government to retract since the Prime Minister is above board and has given a free hand to investigative agencies to do their job. Everyone in the country hopes that the ED and other investigative agency would do a meticulous job of proving the cases in the courts.
The long arm of the law had already hauled up former Union Finance and former Union Home Minister P. Chidamaram who is facing various cases including money laundering in INX media case. His son Kartik, who is a Member of Parliament, is facing charges of facilitating visas to 250 Chinese nationals in exchange for bribe.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are facing serious charges for fraud in the National Herald Case. They used party fund to get control over a firm that publishes National Herald newspaper and also has assets worth thousands of crores spread across India. They are being investigated by the ED and the Income Tax after a Trial Court’s order on assessment of their tax liabilities.
Sonia Gandhi’s son in law Robert Vadra is facing various cases of fraud and corruption including owning disproportionate assets abroad. Most of these people facing corruption and fraud charges are out on bail and the slow process of law is going to catch up with them. So there is nothing serious about the rant or bravado of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, or Trinamul Congress’s Partha Chatterjee’s vain claim of being innocent even when cash worth Rs 50 crore and other movable and immovable assets have been found during the ED raids. It would be interesting to find out the source of that money. Will it land at the door of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee? Was she aware that cash was kept there to be used later during elections?
Sanjay Rawat needs to explain the disproportionate assets he and his family have amassed. Bravado won’t help. The source of the money needs to be explained. Was there illegal gratification for the role he is alleged to have played in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl in Mumbai. Shameless Shiv Sena MPs tried to disrupt Parliament over the arrest of Raut.
Getting arrested in corruption case is not a qualification that supporters would protest and make so much of noise. Attempts to give it political colour by saying it is vendetta would not cut much ice with the people. The ED or any arm of government would not be able to do anything if there was nothing incriminating.
This contrasts with the approach of Narendra Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat. As chief minister, he subjected himself to intense grilling for hours by the SIT (Special Investigation Team) probing Gujarat riots, He did not complain even once or made an issue out of this even when everyone in the Central Government knew that the then UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government was keen to fix Modi and implicate him in the riots.
All these leaders must remember that action against corruption is the mandate of the Modi government. The Prime Minister is above board and he often reminds one of late Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore who transformed the tiny island country from one of the most corrupt during colonial days to the least corrupt since 1995 (as rated by Transparency International).
When Lee Kuan Yew became the Prime Minister of Singapore for the first time, he stopped taking gifts from people and clarified that the gifts meant gratification for something else later. This was not easy since the indigenous culture of Singapore believes in giving gifts as token of appreciation. Even officials who got gifts were required to get an assessment done about the value and they were supposed to pay or get the gifts auctioned to public.
There is a lot of similarity between Lee and Modi. Modi is also committed to fighting corruption and taking action against the corrupt. He wants to simplify the laws that lead to harassment of people and has already scrapped thousands of them. He has enacted legislations to empower agencies to fight corruption including confiscation of assets bought in foreign countries through ill-gotten money.
At the personal level, Modi is an ascetic. He does not hoard things. When he was leaving Gujarat to take on the role of the Prime Minister he had donated personal savings of Rs 21 lakhs for welfare of daughters of drivers and peons working with the Gujarat Government. He has adopted the practice of auctioning gifts he receives. The proceeds go to fund useful action. He donated Rs 22.5 crore generated during last auction (2019-21) to the Namami Gange Programme.
Corruption like termite is damaging the social and moral fabric of the country. Modi knows that economic development is not possible without putting a check on corruption. A businessman or an investor would not come if he has to bribe the system to get things going. Singapore is an example. There is hardly any corporate giant not having an office there.
Modi has been trying to ease compliances so that there is less and less of red tape. He has been showcasing India as a destination of safe and assured growth. Corruption must be checked and law and order must be improved to attract business houses. This explains his appeal to BJP ruled States to act fast on achieving the last mile delivery and creating congenial ambience for businesses to thrive.
Action against the high and mighty for misdeeds would send the right message to people manning the system that they must improve. It is not possible that you make money misusing your power while in Government and cry foul when action follows. Everyone in the system must know that none would be spared.