The reports, “ > Saikia sold info, says ex-official ,” “He was called Mr. Petrol,” and “Stolen papers could impact national security: police,” (Feb.22) are alarming. It is equally unfortunate that there is politics being played out in the midst of all this, with the government claiming credit for unearthing the scam. The first sign that things could go wrong, as seen in the Radia Tapes episode, should have set in motion a revamp of the system. But things seem to have been allowed to linger.
The episode shows that corporate bosses can indeed do irreparable damage to national interest. The political system should now unite and work in tandem to ensure that the nation’s security is not compromised. The easy access the corporate world has to top decision-making processes establishes the fact that there exists a dual economy which is paralysing and crippling the nation. This nexus needs to be broken.
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
With rising inequalities in India, corporate greed was shamelessly evident, but “stealing” secrets is the limit. In a country where even lobbying is illegal, espionage on the government, much more serious than corporate espionage, is simply unacceptable. And the indication that it has been going on for decades makes it even more disturbing. It is not only unethical but also dangerous for the nation and its economy. As it is, corporates have been notorious for exploiting the poorer and weaker sections of society, contributing to environmental degradation and political corruption. In a socialist-welfarist democracy, where the government’s primary job is to uplift the masses, the bureaucratic-corporate nexus was always a bane. And now espionage! Is there no end to corporate greed? In fact, it is such things that hurt our ease-of-doing-business rankings globally. The culprits, who are involved directly or indirectly, must be severely punished.
Pranav Shekhar,
New Delhi
The sordid revelations are a classic example of what happens when there is drastic liberalisation, crony-capital-friendly policy programmes, outsourcing and opening up of the use of natural resources to private players, PPP, BOP models and a lopsided, market-driven economy thrust upon the nation in the name of development and growth without stringent and deterrent law enforcing mechanisms, and special courts in place to deal with economic offences. Considering the sensational revelation made by one of the accused that this was a corporate espionage scam worth Rs.10,000 crore, the action being taken cannot be termed as a crackdown. Those arrested are only the small fry. The sharks lurk elsewhere. It would be interesting to see how the government tackles the offenders, considering that half the ideas driving economic revival now are private and corporate-sector driven. Offending the corporate sector can invite repercussions.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas,
Palakkad
