prasad1
Active member
Last year in July, the media was agog with stories about how Sushma Swaraj had helped Lalit Modi get travel documents from the British government. Mr Modi at the time was in Britain with his passport cancelled by India and Ms Swaraj’s letter to the British government let it be known that should they help him go to Portugal to visit his ailing wife, India would not object. This became a huge controversy, more so since it appeared that Ms Swaraj’s daughter had represented Mr Modi in the courts. There was a strong whiff of conflict of interest, to say nothing of the fact that a minister of the Indian government had requested the British government on behalf of a fugitive, but Ms Swaraj’s government stood by her, saying she had helped Mr Modi on “humanitarian” grounds. Around the same time, the Congress had alleged that Mr Modi had invested money in a company owned by Vasundhara Raje’s son. That Ms Raje and Mr Modi had been close was fairly well-known in Rajasthan and in cricket circles, but once again, the BJP defended her.
Mr Rijiju has pooh-poohed the charges, even going far as to say that anyone who says he is corrupt will be “beaten with shoes by people” in his village. Defiant words these, but they are no answer to the strong claims being made by not just politicians but also a civil servant. How will Mr Narendra Modi deal with his young minister, who is a crucial element in the party’s Northeast strategy? In Eknath Khadse’s case in Maharashtra, the chief minister ensured that he quit pending an inquiry. Mr Khadse was a threat to Devendra Fadnavis, so it was quite convenient to let him go. Shouldn’t Mr Rijiju be asked to step down while an inquiry is held? How would have the BJP reacted if the situation was reversed and had it been a UPA minister? Halfway through the government’s term, corruption has reared its head. This is not to say that any of the charges are true or that there are scams waiting to be discovered, but at the very least, a new front has opened up. Any mention of corruption strikes at the very foundation of this government and can make a dent in its credibility. It is almost certain that from now on, Opposition politicians, especially the feistier ones, will now be on the lookout for any other possible cases of misdemeanour or worse.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/171216/corruption-new-front-against-bjp.html
