The arrest of former Telecommunications Minister A. Raja by the Central Bureau of Investigation is a significant milestone in the ongoing criminal investigation into the trillion-rupee 2G spectrum allocation scam. After several rounds of questioning, and searches at his residences and at business firms where he was suspected to have investment interests, the CBI seems closer to filing charges and beginning prosecution. But coming as it did three years after the scandalous transactions, the arrest raises the question what and who prevented India's premier criminal investigation agency from doing what it is required to do under the law of the land. Although the CBI searched the offices of the Department of Telecommunications in October 2009 after the Central Vigilance Commission asked it to probe irregularities in the grant of telecom licences, no headway was made in the so-called preliminary enquiry until the Supreme Court began monitoring the case. For more than a year, the CBI was content to let sleeping dogs lie, keeping up a pretence of investigation. That the agency was taking its cue from ruling politicians was clear, what with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaking up for Mr. Raja at every available opportunity. As is evident from the 2007-2008 correspondence between him and Mr. Raja (see ‘Resources' at www.thehindu.com), Dr. Singh was fully in the picture when the then Telecommunications Minister decided not to go for auction of a highly valued scarce resource and do all that happened under cover of the ‘first-come, first-served' policy. In fact, the record shows that the Prime Minister first raised doubts about this course but went along with the decision-making.
As opposition leaders have argued, the issues go well beyond Mr. Raja. In the first place, a proper investigation must identify the many beneficiaries in independent India's biggest corruption scandal and bring them to justice. Secondly, with the latest development in the case, the opposition's demand for a joint parliamentary committee to look into wider aspects of the scam — including the Prime Minister's accountability for the actions of a Cabinet colleague that he knew about and did little to stop — has gathered force. The arrest, which signifies the CBI's progress, however slow in its investigation, has come as a huge embarrassment to the current Telecommunications Minister, Kapil Sibal — who only recently went out of his way to defend the indefensible, asserting among other things that there was no loss to the government exchequer from the 2G spectrum allocation. Is the arrest of Mr. Raja an indication that the CBI has at last broken free from political tutelage in the 2G spectrum case? The answer to this question might be available in the next stage in the investigation.
Keywords: Raja arrest, 2G spectrum scam, CBI probe, CAG report, DMK-Congress ties
One of the correspondents is wondering how the people of Tamil Nadu
who were intelligent did not raise a voice of protest.I wish to
enlighten him that those who are attributed this quality have been
driven out of TN over the past 40 or so years and they have settled
elsewhere
Every person with consciece will bleed after reading your Article. You have raised so many issues which I would love to deal,but for my poor computer knowledge and I type with one finger only.I venture to deal only with one part. In Vidharbha,there were large no.of Farmers,suicides.Our P.M.who is proclaimed as outstanding Economist,went there & sanctioned several thousand rupees,to enable poor farmers to pay back the loans recd from Banks,ignoring the loans recd from private money lendersHe went back,satisfied.But,the farmers deaths increased much more.In his place,I would have committed suicide.In the present days of electronic administration,if I was the collector of that area(I am a retired IAS),I would have kept a close watch,on the condition of each poor farmer and would have taken remedial measures,to prevent the tragedies.But our economist P.M.thought,he had solve d the problem.What kind of governance is this?Poor governance is our bigest tragedy.
As the spectrum episode will focus unwanted light on the abysmal state of the so-called corporate governance/social responsibility as well as other issues like accounting/audit practices stringed with unaccounted/black money used by the Corporates/businessmen to grease the palms of politicians/government servants, etc.,for personal gain, the issue would emanate unbearable stink and the hence it be given a peaceful burial. May the soul of Spectrum Rest in Peace.
First come-first served policy of allocating spectrum is not a preferred way of government business. It is clear that Mr.Raja has earned the lesser money for government by adopting such a method.Rather he should have notified tenders or auctions.The persons or companies who acquired lisences this way have been allowed to earn huge amounts after investing a little money for their business.
My apologies to the samaritians of India. Being a native of Tamil Nadu, I feel ashamed to have elected the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu. We the people of TN are answerable for having brought such corrupt politicians to power. What was the alternative, either ADMK or DMK. Both are same. ADMK was out of power on corruption charges (high exposure given by DMK superimo Karunanidhi on SUN TV) and the other has for the past five years taken control of every walk of life be it media, films, hospitality industry etc.). Even now, when we see the political scenario, it is but difficult to find honest, educated politician, to whom we could cast our Vote. My apologies once again to the India.
Lots of Skeletons in the closet. Raja and MK's custodians of a large chunk of cash namely Ahmed Salahuddin is to be investigated. Hope tax payers get justice. Everything seems promising. Swan Telecom must be probed and people should be exposed.
This is just an inception , we really dont know how deep the root of corruption is? A citizen also called aam admi is facing so many difficulties by a small level corruption which directly hits them. Here in A.Raja case people are not directly hit.
I am sorry to say this is one of the softest editorial about corruption. Though the editorial argues about the PM's knowledge about the corruption, it does not go beyond that. Here we can see a lot about the top politicians culpability in this scam, i am really upset about the slow progress of investigation and the editorial does not talk about the reform in the investigating agencies, which is necessary in the corruption cases so that they can operate without interference. Here time and again, when the ruling party politicians have tried to subvert the investigation, the editorial should have gone hard on them. Even after all the embarrassment for Kapil Sibal, he still is trying to influence the CBI by sending the recent report which complains about the policy making as the reason for the loss. If he is honest, he should send the report to Supreme court or ordered a separate investigation with CBI to investigate the vested interest in the policy making. For the CBI, the case in hand is about what made Raja take the decisions he did during his tenure as Communications minister and how much he knew about the loss and who was involved in it and who made the money and where did it go. The editorial should have gone into these things a little more with all the available info. In any case, i appreciate the editorial to point out about the Government's corruption how much softer it may be...
A huge loss has occurred and that too when the our PM himself was in proper touch with Mr A.Raja. Moreover, there has been mentions of following previous policies inpite of the telecom industry having changed a lot. I think the gravity of the situation is such that we need a proper investigation of the matter which brings to light who were the culprits as well as the people who kept mum inspite of being aware of the matter. Moreover, previous policies, if flawed, need to be looked into as well. So, having a JPC commitee to give a transparent account of the above is the need of the hour. But a report itself is not enough. We need to come up with steps which can drill accountability and transparency in the system beacuse it seems that the system itself was not in place. A system should be developed for future cases which have a minmum scope for arbitration. But at the same time the system should be reviewed from time to time so as to align it along the status quo.
Your editorial was forthright in putting the scandal and its aftermath in its proper perspective. Surely,our present PM appeared as a breath of fresh air in a political decaying society initially when he came to the reins of power,but seems to have denegerated into an abysmal low for the sake of clinging on to power! If he's a person of integrity and proves that he's a true statesman that our country can be be always grateful for, it's his last chance to break his nexus with leaders who symbolise corruption and make a clean breast of everything and restore the credibility of Governance and rule of law. Nobody should be allowed to escape with their ill-gotton wealth stashed away for generations in foreign banks(tax havens).Posterity would salute him and he doesn't have to care what the law-breakers make of him. It's his one last opportunity to redeem the open plunder that the wrong elements in the present ruing party and all its Alliance partners have done to this poor nation for over six decades! He should stand up,be brave and not lose this chance, because he may not live for another opportunity to present itself.
The scam is really Himalayan as referred to by the opposition in Tamil Nadu, and I hope it will be investigated properly, without any loopholes and action taken on the guilty. The beneficieries have plundered.
I am surprised to see comments supporting Raja - under the garb of policy. It's simple - he sold spectrum to companies at x, the companies then resold the same spectrum the next day to other companies at 8x. The difference was shared with Raja - the government got only x. The spectrum was cheaply valued for the government, and correctly valued for Raja and the companies - how did this cause an economic boom? Comments like this 3 years after the loot shows that people have not spent 10 minutes to understand the basic facts.
CBI is a shame. R.K.Raghavan talked the big talk about law taking its own course. Well, law takes Sonia's course at the centre and Karuna or Jaya's course in the state of Tamilnadu.
I bet nothing is going to happen. If DMK-Congress wins in TN election- Raja will go free and all cases dismissed and forgotten and he will be allowed live rest of his life like a real RAJA. If DMK- Congress loss TN election- Congress at Center will bargain with whoever wins at TN and come to some arrangements and whoever got the money will be asked to split - after that everybody will be happy. If DMK- Congress loss TN election and Congress losses at Center in the next election, everyone in the national level will get some %, peaceful settlement will be reached. End of the day, we would have great satisfaction of reading a action-filled story and would have discussed million times with many friends, how nothing changes at India and how corruption can not be eliminated, etc- still gone and voted to these corrupt politicians. Fortunately Mr.Mubrak of Egypt has set a very scale of 70 billion $ wealth so our politicians have to find ways and means to beat him to be No 1 in the world- is it not our aim?
Well written article and it's probably for the first time that The Hindu has openly questioned the role of the PM in the whole affair. Personal honesty of the PM is of no use if he can't prevent the open looting of public resources by his cabinet colleagues and their cronies. And what about the role of Sonia Gandhi, the extra constitutional authroity behind the government? Raja and DMK must have her blessings as well before carrying out this brazen loot. Even JPC won't be enough to bring out the whole truth because it's composed of the politicians and they are good at saving the skin of their brethren. We need a special prosecutor (soomeone like Kenneth Star of US in the Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal) under direct supervision of the Supreme Court who should lead the investigation. Otherwise, I'm certain that Raja will escape with at best a minor punishment.
Finally, 'spectrum Raja' has ended up in CBI custody. However, the hero who outshone in the sopectrum case is not Mr. Raja but his replacement Mr. Kapil Sibal. He waved a marvellous 'mathemagical' band like Shakespearre's Miranda and weaved a mortifying yarn that may amaze our great mathematical legends like Arya Bhatta and Chandra Sekhar. The new equation, to put it algebraically, is 176x10 raised to 10=0. WHAT follows A.Raja's arrest would be a fait accompli. We have testimonials to this, like the case of Shibu Soren et al. Anyhow, there is still a ray of hope in that the flame of the due process of democracy and law has not extinguished, it appears, in our country.
PM's silence on Raja's role casts doubts on his integrity and honesty. Surely he was under pressure from the top leadership. Without Supreme Court's interference all these - including the arrest of Raja- could not have happened. Even now it is not too late. PM should open his mind to prove his integrity.
Mr. Karunadhi, the selfstyled Atheist, compares Raja with Mahabali not with Kovalan.Whenever Karunanidhi gets into problem, he will play the caste card and poor dravidians will fall a prey to his crocodile tears. For the last 50 years this is going on and as a believer of God , let him punish the whole lot at the earliest. so that common man can live peacefully.
As it the case generally, and especially with politics and in India, if it seems too simple it probably is not. I see a couple of angles at play with this arrest. Scenario 1: DMk and Congress do not see eye-to-eye on power sharing in Tamil Nadu for the coming elections. With the arrest of Raja Congress maybe trying to prove a point and gain a bargaining chip. Scenario 2: Elaborate scheme of DMK with Congress in collusion. Arrest Raja - this is good for Congress and its image nationally, in TN this will play out as an insult to the Dravidians. DMK will play more of the Dravidian card and may help boost its sagging popularity in the coming elections. What's more CBI will treat A Raja as 'carefully' as possible (read with all luxury provided). Scenario 3: Genuine arrest. This is the most unlikeliest. Nobody gains from this except Congress and even there only slightly. Their coalition with DMK will obviously have ended that very minute if this was the case.
A billion people handed over the country's treasures to Mr MM Singh for safe keeping and not to A RAJA. A billion people have been let down.
Indian judiciary has become a joke. Raja followed the same protocol that his predecessors have adhered and yet nobody from the previous administration has been questioned or charged. When the judiciary functions partially the real democracy is at peril. Judicial activism should be curtailed to protect the parliamentary democracy.
The arrest of Raja should have come much earlier and CBI should enquire the links between Nira Radia and DMK's first family (Kanimozhi's conversation with Nira Radia cant be considered a private ).Why DMK is still supporting Raja ? Is any high profile leaders in DMK involved in this scam?
In the entrenched system of corruption and cronyism, the only ray of hope is the pro-active Supreme Court. I hope the Supreme Court continues to play that role and be a role model.
Peope have short term memory. After this dies down in a year, it embattles the next set of ministers to take the corruption further along. Yet, there is hope! The Government needs to publish the list of Swissbank account holders after it gets the list from Germany (which apparently has the list, for one particular bank). Apparently, the US has sued one or two banks and has obtained the list from the bank itself (of US nationals). If that doesn't happen and i am betting that it wouldn't, the only hope then would be WikiLeaks publishing the list of all Swiss bank account holders who are Indians.
The present Central Govt should resign.The PM is accountable for his cabinet minister.He should have sacked him long, long ago.Why he was silent. The present Telecom Minister-a lawyer who defended this culprit should be sacked, if he has any self respect he should submit his resignation.What a mess the present Govt has created and that too run by an ex Professor and an Economist.A Lok Sabha which is not functioning for weeks.Is it a democracy? Now it is for The Hindu to take up further and investigate and publish the truth as The Daily Telegraph in England investigated the MP's expenses scandal here in London. This is an excellent editorial by The Hindu.
Beautiful Editorial, in as far as it highlighted the wagging portion of the tail. If head was also uncovered in the Editorial besides the body, hands and eyes, it could have become a robust Editorial. The inference I am drawing attention to is the left and right side of the head. The head based in Tamil Nadu that made the tail wag in New Delhi could have been obliquely nailed in the Editorial.
@Salil Desai: He is right in drawing the attention to the fact that negative vibes are being generated by media (particularly electronic media) to sensationalize the issue. We require reforms in executive, judiciary, legislative and in political processes. Not long ago, the then Chief Justice of Karnataka was in news for wrong reasons and so is the chief minister(of land grabbing).It is time to think objectively and re-engineer all the processes of governance instead of pointing an accusing finger only at the Prime Minister.
Finally the CBI acted.It is too late.Atleast justice delayed not DENIED.It should be a lesson for all erring politicions.Kudos our Judicial System.
I hope this arrest is beginning of full disclosure of the magnitude of the scandal. Is this possible to happen without the knowledge PM and Sonia? The Hindu has not even hinted about this. Are you being charitable or naive?
Well...even if Raja is convicted what do you think is going to happen. Raja will be fined Rs.15000 and may be one year jail or another Rs. 15000 if not going to jail. What a stupid penal code???
We have lost faith in our politicians. The law should be amended to make CBI independent enough to obtain direct permission of Supreme Court in every case of investigation.
The arrest of ex telecom minister A Raja is surely welcomed by the public of the largest democracy of the world. Mahatma Gandhi said 'The freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes' and it seems our ministers have taken the later part of the saying very seriously. The arrest is surely going to provide the luxury and comfort to Raja in jail which is going to be better than 50 percent of the Indian population. Hence real meaning of democracy and judiciary will be when Raja is sentenced for his crime.At a later stage the arrest should not turn out to be a meek action for shifting the focus. The CBI, the premier investigating agency of the country, seems to have become a mouth piece of the government. In all the cases involving politicians CBI sounds like an organization with responsibility but without authority which is meaningless. The meaningless investigation was on for the last 3 years in 2G scam.The moral and motive of having an agency like CBI is lost if it is guided and governed by politician. The autonomous CBI should practice its reason of being formed . Our respected P.M. Dr. Manmohan Singh is a person with intelligence and known for bringing reforms in India as Finance Minister but what about his duties as the head of the country. He was not able to get Raja's approval for auction of 2G spectrum . He seems to be guilty of inaction after the CVC report.He couldn't get Raja to resign after his name surfaced in the scandal.What were you expecting Mr. P.M. ,all noble decent people around you? The head of the state is responsible for not just himself but for the entire cabinet. The accountability and credibility of Manmohan Singh is questionable in 2G scam. His proposal of being ready to appear before PCA should be brought to action and government should agree for opposition demand of JPC. The people of India want an example to be set before the example set by Tunsia and Egypt is followed by the land of Mahatma Gandhi.
Man Mohan and Sonia are as much of criminals as Raja in the 2G Scam. They should also be arrested and their houses searched. The whole thing should be gone into thoroughly, not treated as closed with the arrest, and probably later exoneration, of all the charges against Raja, if things go the way they are going now. Even this little has been done because of media and public pressure. Let the accounts of all politicians, like Mayawati, Lallu Prasad, Mulayam Singh, etc. also be frozen and checked. Just Raja is not even the tip of the ice-berg. I appeal to the Indian public and the media to keep the pressure and the heat on, so that more skeletons fall from the Congress cupboard, and soon.
Raja's arrest, though belated, is a welcome step. One hopes that the arrest is not an eyewash and that it truly leads to the punishment of the guilty.
The significance of Raja's arrest is that it will once again reveal the incompetence of our nation's top investigation agency, It will again expose the faults in the system those are eating this country's rich and poor alive. Raja pillaged billions of dollars from government and its people, which could have been used for developing million of things in this country. Our politicians work in synchronization with the business houses and families to run the show, so do the agencies like CBI. This was India's season of scams but not a single scam has been solved so far, not a single person has been punished for the wrong doings and financial atrocities they have carried out against people.
CBI has arrested Raja mere as a gimmick that has come too late. The damage has been done and nothing short of canceling the deals and hanging Raja along with the whole gang will do any good. But that's only a dream, we all know nothing will happen because that is how things work in our country. These years have been times of great recession worldwide and countries not only big corporations have been bailed out using billions of dollars, yet Mr Raja pilfered a great sum that could have bailed out number of advanced countries. True, there are political motives behind everything that an Indian politician does but what about the ultimate motive that they all share? I hang my head in shame in front of all my colleagues when we discuss the news about India, saying "This is how it works" does not change the reality.
One wonders why no one has referred to the role of Ms Kanimozhi who got an immensely valuable land at Chennai for a song through a power of attorney from Tatas and soon thereafter disposed off the same to a waiting buyer at a huge profit. Why are the transactions not questioned to the hilt? Investigations into this crucial aspect will bring out who the real beneficiaries are for whom Raja was only a henchman/ stooge.
Though CBI's arrest signals progress when compared with its inordinate delay, what is outstanding is the lack of prosecution of culprits. Indian investigation agencies lack credibility and tenacity for whatever reason. India needs to establish independent agencies that can initiate prosecution along the lines of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of the Government of New South Wales. Established in 1988, it is vested with responsibility for investigating corrupt practices by state and local officials in the state of New South Wales. The ICAC has jurisdiction over state and local government in New South Wales, parliamentarians, local councillors, the Governor of New South Wales, public servants, police and staff of universities and all state-owned corporations. Anyone can refer matters to the commission. It has the coercive powers of a Royal Commission and can compel witnesses to testify. Where the ICAC rules that an official has acted corruptly, the charges are referred to the criminal justice system for trial. The ICAC is led by a single commissioner and reports directly to the presiding officers of the Parliament of New South Wales. He/she serves a single five-year term and cannot be dismissed except by the Governor. This system works well in Australia. We need similar system introduced in India. Also India needs to tighten the moral standard of candidates running for public office including putting limits on how terms they can serve. Wish someone is able to bring in changes in the system to clean the mess. Corrupt politicians who have similar outstanding cases talking like saints will not help the system.
Isn't there a limit to cynicism? Agreed there is plenty of room for it, but there comes a time when one has to go beyond it and hope. It makes no sense to keep doubting whether things will be taken to their logical conclusion. Already, some path breaking steps in the history of free India have been taken in the fight against corruption by the government, even if it may be under pressure. I believe this article is a shining example of how negative the media perspective has been. In fact playing to the gallery has become the pet project of the media. The public loves to see the government and politicians slammed for corruption and that's exactly what the media is giving them. It's the flavour of the season. Similarly the higher judiciary loves to look upon itself as the champion of the people. Beating the government hardly requires great courage when one has the sanctity of unquestioned authority and the support of the public, who are baying for someone's blood. Perhaps the Supreme Court needs to first reform and set the entire judicial system in order which has failed the citizens of this country equally badly if not more, as politicians have.
Every media and intellectual elite of this country is showcasing only one side of the coin as it was colored as mother of scam. A subject needs to be analyzed with cause and effect basis. If auditors can make policy decisions then they can rule this country. Nobody ever discussed the policy whether it is right or wrong, what effect it caused or will cause in consumer market, which is advantageous to have initial saving in the public kitty or prolonged economic boon due to increased consumer market. It is unfortunate that the issue of benefits against favors in FCFS policy has outweighed the policy decision to implement 2001 rates in 2008 which is consumer oriented and be named as mother of the scams. We degrade ourselves in front of other countries by calling ourselves as scammers instead of positive discussions about the policy decisions. Can't there be a business model to show the pros and cons of the auctioned or high license fee?
Even though the investigations are still in preliminary stages and to draw any conclusion about the change in the credentials of CBI would be premature, the arrest of A. Raja does come as a moment of victory for everyone who wants entire aspects of the 2G scam to be made public and all those involved to be brought to justice. It was the relentless campaign launched by the media and the opposition parties having the implicit support of the public in general that has led to this development. The Congress might initially have been wary of taking any tangible action against A. Raja because of the underlying threat of irking DMK. But both now well understand that they need each other more than ever to fight the forthcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. While this arrest has served as a slap on the face for Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal for making utterly irresponsible and untimely remarks in a deliberate attempt to mislead the people and undermine the authority of highest institutions of the country, it has much broader implications for the person who till now has been regarded as one of 'unimpeachable integrity' and beyond reproach. The beleaguered prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, who is already having a tough time trying to answer allegations over the role played by him in the appointment of tainted CVC P. J. Thomas even when he was aware of charges of corruption pending against him and brazenly sought to ignore the advice tended by Leader of Opposition Ms Sushma Swaraj, will now find himself on an even more shaky ground. It is desirable to have an honest prime minister at the helm but a diffident and unassertive prime minister is simply not acceptable. The prime minister, more than anyone, is equally responsible and complicit in the crime perpetrated by A. Raja and the fact that he was in full knowledge of all the facts but did little to stop the telecom minister makes his position indefensible. The larger question is: does this arrest herald the downfall of our prime minister, a development that so far seemed unthinkable. The glaring facts that have appeared in the public domain in the past few weeks and the mounting pressure by the opposition parties certainly carry a broad hint in that direction. If that happens, it will most certainly be the most positive outcome of the entire controversy over the scam because it will make it clear to all the political parties that people today demand zero tolerance of official misconduct and any lapses in good governance by people at the top will not go unnoticed and unpunished.
Your editorial raises very fundamental questions about the P.M. Will the CBI be allowed to probe further? Let's wait and see.
The arrest of Mr Raja may be a 'check' on Mr Karunanidhi's likely manipulation in the allocation of assembly seats for the enusing TN elections. Apart from that, the Government of India has been exposed completely for its utter mishandling of the episode right from the beginning. The arrest also confirms the necessity for a joint parliamentary committee's to go deep into the issues involved. Where is Mr Sibal who was trying to fool the people?
Our Bhagwad Gita says that to protect a group, there is nothing wrong in sacrficing an individual. That is what has happened in the present case. To protect the party and power, DMK and Congress have sacrificed Raja. CBI has achieved, what it could not in Bofors and innumerable corruption cases against the leading political bigwigs in our country. Let us at least hope, as pointed in your editorial that it has gained teeth to break away from the clutches of the ruling party. Will it not be better , if CBI is under the protection of the Apex court, in all major cases, in future? Where is the accountability of Cabinet in this crucial case? What has happened to the collective responsibility and the 'First among Equals' status enjoyed by the PM? How can the PM of the day, escape and walk free after allowing a major corruption to take place under his watchful eyes?What about the head of the GOM, our great Pranab Da, with whom Mr Raja, had clearly written in his letters to the PM, that he had several rounds of informal discussions on this issue? Now that a scapegoat has been sacrificed at the altar, the media and the Opposition should train their guns at the PM and make him pay for this huge loss to the nation. Amidst all this melee, who will tell the nation , the actual corruption loot that has changed hands and who were the benecificaries? It will not be enough, that UPA II falls and resurfaces in an another form but those guilty of this big offence will face punishment before it fades from public memory.
The PM has brought great disgrace to the nation in being a mute spectator to the world's largest scam. Honest Tax payers like us should hang our heads in shame in being called an Indian. The UPA govt especially has greatly contributed to making large scale corruption legal in India under the able guidance of MS Sonia and under the supervision of our 'HONEST' PM Manmohan Singh.
It is always considered people of Tamil Nadu are highly qualified and intelligent, who stand apart from other peoples. Alas, of late, it is observed that whatever Mr Karunanidi and his family persons does whether it is swindling and/or hoodwinking, people of Tamil Nadu accept without any protest. Further Mr Karunanidhi always looks for an opportunity to downride Hindu believers. All along he had supported Mr A Raja saying he has not done anything wrong, if that is the case, why CBI has arrested Mr A Raja. When will people of Tamil Nadu stand up and ask such pertinent questions which will expose Mr Kaqrunanidhi completely.
The political wind is blowing hot and cold in Tamil Nadu. Raja, the former communication minister is in CBI custody. The opposition parties seem to have gained some sympathy among the public, especially among the educated lot. Will it generate the required momentum to for an anti-establishment wave? Will it give the mantle of power to the main opposition party? The coming days developments from DMK and AIADMK sides will only prove as to who gained and who lost the first round. In the opposition camp, there are two serious contenders for power. Dr Jayalalithaa, AIADMK supremo is really looking for a chance to become the CM and to a lesser extent DMDK leader, Mr. Vijayakanth; the actor turned politician is also very much keen to get the seat of power. Fortunately, in the last 2 weeks there have been serious attempts to bring these two leaders together under one alliance to challenge the DMK and congress alliance. Unfortunately, the move of CBI in arresting the RAJA would give a false impression among the two leaders as if the arrest would provide a better and greater opportunity for the opposition to defeat the DMK. As a result, both the leaders will be more adamant in their stand with regards each party standing in sizeable number of seats .Instead of a give and take policy between these two leaders now a tough negotiation would take place and the chances of both not coming together is very much in sight. No wonder the anti-establishment votes will get divided, leaving the result a wide open.
To even entertain the thought that CBI has broken free of the political tutelage is just day-dreaming.
The arrest of Mr.A.Raja,appears to be a political drama with the script neatly prepared to fool the voters with the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu around the corner. All parties who have benefitted from this massive scam should be brought to the court and prosecuted if found guilty. This arrest will just be a mock up if nothing concrete comes out of this arrest. The Congress should accept to face the JPC and the Prime Minister as the head of the cabinet is answerable not alone to the opposition hurdled against him but to his own country men also.
An editorial that is long overdue. It clearly highlights the inaction on the part of Prime Minister and CBI on the issue for three years. Surprisingly, it shies away from mentioning the clear link of the DMK first family in the whole scam as established in the Niira Radia tapes. The back room manipulation of deciding the council of ministers by few resourceful individuals and the level of tolerance being shown by Congress in accommodating the 'alliance' partners are more dangerous than the specific instances of corruption. Even these late actions by the CBI appear to be carefully scripted aiming the upcoming SC hearing and political benefit of seat sharing talks with DMK. It is here that, the role of media including that of The Hindu's gain importance and I sincerely hope that media will live up to the same.
Nice editorial capturing and enlisting more questions raised with this arrest. And basic questions remain how system of governance duped by the central dispensation and also...why CBI is so effective under judiciary or when it comes to harras opposition party.
Many questions arise in the mind of common man with this arrest. CBI now admits it has clinching evidence for the wrongdoings of Raja and his associates. The purported crime has been committed three years ago. The PM has intervened but went along with Raja. Why? CBI commenced investigation in 2009 but did next to nothing in the investigation and it seemed that their hands have been tied down. This delay in getting a report from CBI has been cited by PM for not granting permission for prosecution to Mr. Subramaniam Swamy. Who knows the reason for the delay in CBI investigation? Again PM is supposed to be in the know of everything. CBI could and in fact did everything like raids, going through all documents, questioning Raja and others within a span of two to three months, only when Supreme Court (SC)started monitoring CBI investigation directly and as the deadline, 10 Feb is drawing nearer to submit report to SC. Hence PM should directly answer the reasons for not pursuing his intervention in the Telecom ministry's affairs, delay in the investigation by CBI and how suddenly CBI became super active. PM should not remain silent anymore.
This is very good step by CBI to arrest A Raja but too late. There should be free and impartial inquiry in this probe and defaulter must be punished as per the land of law. Then people realise that nobody is above the law of the country.
The CBI has done little so far to nail the culprits behind this huge scam. The CBI has become more of an executive's puppet. The country needs law enforcement bodies that can act independent of political intervention like the Election Commission. The arrests could have been initiated long back. The delays indicate the influence the present government has on CBI. The arrest is a big blow to the DMK which staged campaigns supporting Raja in TN and to Mr.Sibal who argued that CAG's report is a sham.
The arrest of former Telecommunictions Minister A.RAJA by C.B.I is too late. C.B.I made no breakthroughs after its investigation at offices in October 2009. The agency (C.B.I)should identify all beneficiaries involving in trillion-rupee scam in the fastest growing coutry.C.B.I should be indepent from all political leaders and their aides and speed up its investigation
Is this newspaper so naive to believe and preach to this country that a PM and UPA Chair person didn't have any responsibility in this or they are sacrosanct?? Why no single doubt has been raised on the first family?
Manmohan singh is more responsible like Dhritrashtra and for hanging on to power at any costs.The least courtsey he might have extended would have been an offer to resign.He would have then been seen as a statesman.But that is not to be.
When 100% of the time politicians charged with crimes have gone scott free, what makes anyone think it will be different this time? The arrest is a game played by the same politicians who know how to take the public for a ride. The man was 'arrested' and he stayed in the CBI office (I am sure it was a comfortable guest room). He will get bail and be out in the morning or at most in 1 or 2 weeks' time. CBI is nothing but friends of the Government selected an appointed by them to do their dirty cover ups. Who else can get appointed? So, why all of this false hope?
The lesson: CBI should be freed from the clutches of the Government in power, and should be made independent like the Election Commission. Otherwise, this 'tamasha' of government's intervention to make the CBI subservient to the ruling party will continue. From what we have seen, it is obvious that CBI's inaction hitherto was 'directed' by the Congress party. If it was not for the Supreme Court, even these tiny steps by the CBI would not have materialized.
The buck stops with the PM. He is the one answerable to all for the acts of commissions and omiisions by the members of his council. In the Indian scenario, the UPA chairperson happens to be more powerful than the PM. For all acts done by the chairperson, the PM and the council of ministers carry the can. By not mentioning the first family and Ms Sonia Gandhi in the leader, you Sir have done a disservice to the nation.
A simple and well-written article. CBI has certainly been influenced by interested politicians to stifle the matter but, because of the strictures of Supreme Court the cat has now shown its head out of the bag. However, the cat is not fully out. CBI should be made to explain the delay in investigations. Even now I doubt the sincerity of CBI. It might have left lots of holes in their investigations for Raja and others to escape through. However,It is now for the Supreme Court to spot the holes and ask appropriate questions and bring to book others who were parties to and benefactors from this scam. While on the subject, I doubt the honesty and knowledge of Mr. Sibal, who has replaced Raja, gone through the files after the scam was widely discussed, but had the temerity to say there was no loss to the Govt. (and so Raja is clean). Was he hiding anybody else from lapses and in the process defended the scam too, or is he ignorant of procedures or he is an utter fool not to understand the obvious is the big question now. The country will certainly serve its people if this Minister is removed forthwith from any responsibility in public service.
It is time that sincere action is taken against stopping of all aspects of illegal mining of India's non-renewable resources so that the exchequer of the nation can increase, through which the people can be benifitted. Currently, illegal mining goes on exploiting all legal, political and bureaucratic loopholes in the system.
The arrest of the former Telecom minister A.Raja entrenches the confidence of the common man in the judiciary. Under the aegis of the Supreme Court, it is hoped, that the CBI would leave no stone unturned until all who perpetrated the scam,the arrested minister and all the beneficiaries adverted by you in the edit,are brought to justice without exception.Also the tracking of the trail of the money of the delinquents would be a strong link of the prosecution.
I want to see the first time a big minister gets prosecuted and sent to jail for his corruption. Until then there is no point in even publishing this news.
The dimensions of spectrum scam go beyond Raja's role and his arrest. The tardy progress made by the CBI, was hastened by a number of factors: the disclosures in the Niira Radia tapes, the Media's active role, the public outrage over the enormity of the scam, the CAG report, and the SC's intervention and monitoring the case. Blocking a JPC probe,and PM's silence and then open support to Raja have only added the suspicions of the average citizen that there is some big cover-up to scuttle the truth. Let us hope Satyameva jayathe. Truth triumphs
By arresting Mr. Raja, the CBI has done only what has been expected from it. The reasons for its delay tactics and dilly-dallying with the investigations are perhaps best known to the bosses of the CBI. There will be some political hiccups in Delhi and Chennai but that should not deter the CBI from carrying out a speedy and unbiased probe, given the huge size of money involved in the scam of all scams. And it would be better on the part of the UPA Government to hasten itself in its efforts to bring back black money stashed away in safer shores. Otherwise the arrest of Mr. Raja can be viewed as a mere ruse to divert the attention of the Nation from the issue of our moolah piled up abroad by our 'committed' leaders.
The credibility of the criminal justice system as well as that of the CBI are in question in this case. While there were raids on DoT offices way back in 2009, what was the reason for the delay in taking action till 2011? Only because the Supreme Court has begun to monitor the case and oversee the CBI, the nation has come to see some action in this case. While the CBI was nimble-footed in the recent IT department case involving Win Chadda and responded the very next day that the case would need to be closed and need not pursued, what made the CBI take so long to act in the Spectrum scandal ? The real powers behind the scenes should be exposed in the open and the loss to the national exchequer should be made good. This govt and all earlier governments have been presenting defecit budgets for ever so long just beause the tax revenue was not adequate to meet the expenses and hence the citizens had to be taxed on every sundry aspect. Had this spectrum loss and the black money stashed away abroad been allowed to flow back into the national monetary system, the ordinary tax payers and citizens ( 'aam aadmi' in Congress parlance ) would have been spared of such enormous tax burden.
Beutiful editorial - we have been waiting for all along. Only the future course of action by the CBI will determine the independant stature of the investigation process. Top leaders including the PM are accountable and it is hoped the Supreme Court will decide this.
The arrest of Mr.A.Raja, Ex-Telecom Minister has exposed the bad politics of UPA II including DMK in defending the indefensible. This arrest has come soon after finalising the alliance between Congress and DMK and Mr.K.Karunanidhi, C.M. has left for Chennai. To restore the decency in politics and win TN assembly elections, UPA II must immediately constitute JPC to probe this mega scam, make Mr.Thomas, present CVC but who has been associating till recently with Telecom Ministry, to resign and cancell all illegally got spectrum licenses by companies through dubious methods. If UPA/DMK does not make course correction right now, it may loose public confidence and face a uphill task in facing Assembly Elections especially in Tamilnadu in this year.
The editorial is on target - there should be no reason for the Congress to not submit to a JPC. The public should know the inner workings of how this "mute" PM and his Cabinet makes decisions - more so in the light of how the CVC Commissioner appointment was done by a high powered committee ignoring evidence to the contrary (and an Opposition leader who objected to the appointment).
In fact, the arrest of Mr.Raja is the result of political tutelage only.CBI can never function free of political tutelage. That is the curse of this country. My predicton of Mr.Raja's fate may be like this: If in the coming assembly elections,the Cong,DMK alliance wins, Mr.Raja will come out like a hero from this case in due course. If not also, he will never be convicted. The case will be forgotten and he will lead a jolly life like Sukhram.
Mr. Raja's arrest comes very late. This arrest looks more of political necessity, keeping elections in mind and scoring points with opposition. People will never know if Government or opposition is really interested to come clean.
The arrest of A.Raja is only a begining and it is imperative to find out how the network of corrupt people acted in unision. An independent body such as JPC's or special prosecutor need to be established to investigate into all corrupt activities. The government cannot investigate itself. Right now we have to assume it is a corrupt government without an exception.
Current investigation is lead by Supreme Court, hence the Editors interpretation (or hope) that CBI has (or is)broken free from political masters is wrong. Only way CBI or any investigative agency can become free from political masters is when it works under umbrella of independent prosecuting agency, in this case Supreme Court. There are many models of independent prosecuting agencies ,the current best one appears to be 'Jan lokpal' which is modeled by eminent Indian judges.Unless under independent prosecuting agency ,CBI will be used as an instrument of threat and ; manipulation.
There is election knocking in TN. DMK's this stunt can prove vital in the election. CBI has been investigating the case for a long time and just before campaigning Raja has been sent behind bars. That may be an another stunt from Indian politicians. Can't say much about current conditions but every thing out there in politics looks a trap for voters and for Aam aadmi.
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