The Congress Party has not realized the challenges that it faces. It has no answers to reviving the economy or cleansing itself from the allegations of corruption. It further does not know how to politically deal with Narendra Modi. Rather than its organization being strengthened and the charisma of its leaders being built up, it believes that Modi can be politically countered either by the CBI or by outlandish comments of its leaders. The Home Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement that the Centre is considering the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry on the alleged snooping charges, only establishes that the Congress Party has failed to learn the lessons from its electoral defeat.
The 2G spectrum allocation was a monumental fraud. The Congress believes it has resolved the issue through a cover-up report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee. Even the notes of dissent submitted by the Opposition MP’s have not been considered. Adarsh scam involved a loot of public property by private persons. The Congress CM of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, had to resign on the issue. Today, the Congress believes that it has resolved the issue by denying the sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan and by the Cabinet rejecting the report of the Inquiry Committee probing the Adarsh scandal.
The Congress Party had highlighted the issue of alleged snooping on a lady by the Gujarat Police. The lady’s family has already clarified that it was a security measure on their own request. Notwithstanding that clarification, the Gujarat Government has appointed a Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired judge to look into the whole issue. The Commission at present is functioning. Rather than deal with the problems of economy and corruption, the Home Minister’s statement that the Government is considering the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry by the Central government on the same issue comes as a surprise. Notwithstanding the constitutional impermissibility of the Central Government appointing a Commission on the issue, the Congress Party has merely reaffirmed that it is not concerned with the problems facing the country. It believes that petty vindictive politics alone suits its modus operandi.
With a JPC cover-up of the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the country needs a Commission of Inquiry to go into the whole issue. The report of the Committee which examined the Adarsh scam has to be implemented and the guilty prosecuted. State Governments of Rajasthan and Haryana need to probe allegations of land scandals involving a key member of the first family of the Congress Party. Rather than clear itself from the charges of corruption on all these issues, the Congress Party feels that by diverting the principal issue, it can get a political advantage. Such moves will serve no useful purpose.