On corruption, the prime minister said that since most of the allegations and scams pertained to the period of UPA-1, these were not an issue because the Congress/UPA was re-elected in 2009. There appears to have been a lapse both of memory and judgement. Yes, most of the scams, telecom spectrum, Commonwealth Games, coal allocations etc. took place during UPA-1. Information on them surfaced, however, in the public domain only during UPA-2.
Rahul Gandhi Jan 28 said: "My position was that I report to the prime minister. Whatever I felt I had conversations with the prime minister. Whatever I felt about the issues I made it abundantly clear to the prime minister." This is untenable. If his views had been made known and presumably he was opposed to the ongoing and widespread corruption, why was nothing done? The vice president is, he stresses, against corruption per se.
If action was not taken to take matters to their logical conclusion against past chief ministers like Ashok Chavan (of Maharashtra) and serving ones like Virbhadra Singh (of Himachal Pradesh), perhaps it is because the Congress party does not listen to him. In so far as Lalu is concerned, the pre-poll alliance will be with the party and not Lalu. Also, decision will be taken by seniors in the party. Two questions, is there an RJD without Lalu and who all are senior to the vice president within the party?
On 1984, Gandhi admitted that Congressmen were indeed involved in the genocidal killings that took the lives of several thousand Sikhs. What he did not mention and the interviewer did not point to the late Rajiv Gandhi's statement then that "When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes".
Also not mentioned was that the rampaging mobs that indulged in the orgy of looting and violence were led by prominent Congressmen subsequently identified. No effort was made by the police to disperse those who were on a killing spree. The person who served as home minister went on to become prime minister. Cases against those prominently identified have not moved and are unlikely to move during the remainder of UPA-2. Even 30 years after the heinous crime, justice continues to evade the victims.
