'Tentative' Unity - Now "Third Front" parties find a reason to unite

With Congress already in the back-foot (2G scam) and BJP not able to decide on the trade-off between controlling corruption in Karnataka Govt or holding on to power, the smaller parties are 'tentatively' uniting and raising their voice against corruption.

This 'front' mainly consists of Left parties (ex UPA 1 partner), JD(S) (trying best to take advantage of any political platform for political gains in Karnataka), TDP (another round of TDP Vs Congress), AIADMK (will do everything to ensure DMK is at the back-foot), BJD and RLD (both of these have their own 'strategic' reasons).

But before we expect too much from them, how long can they stay united is the challenge. Even earlier they have come together, only to leave apart with bitter differences.

The silver-lining is - because of this, the Congress and even the BJP would need to do further introspection. Unless Congress and BJP make tangible changes, they would continue to loss ground and respect from common man.

Political transformation always happens from within. May be, it's time for these parties to deeply introspect on their party structure, elevate younger leaders (with clean records) and come out with revitalized party policies. 

Practice what you preach!

Karnataka has always been known as the IT hub of India. However, the state has recently been in news, thanks to serious corruption issues in BJP led/ Yeddyurappa Govt.

It is not that his opposition is known to be the best example of being clean, instead, they (the opposition) have had a habit of trying the best to disrupt the political stability. However, in this issue, they all have a point as there are grave mistakes committed by the government.



Current Karnataka Chief Minister - Mr. Yeddyurappa

The main issue is that Yeddyurappa's family (mainly his two sons) were given plots of land in and around Bangalore that were acquired by the government for public projects. The Opposition (mainly Kumaraswamy) alleges that Yeddyurappa misused his office to benefit his sons who were the beneficiaries of a massive land scam.

Kumaraswamy, in the last few days, has been able to produce several documents to show how government land was de-notified in a matter of days and sold to Yeddyurappa's family. This has raised huge public ire and increases the trust deficit that people would now have on the government.



If BJP wants to present its picture as a clean party, it is actually missing the bus. Delaying a decision to clean up the state party would only go against BJP in the long run. However, the larger question would then be - who would replace Yeddyurappa. If Reddy brothers gain control, things would only accentuate for the worse.

There can be no short-cuts and quick fixes. BJP needs to get its act together to earn the lost trust. It needs serious re-structuring and bringing up "non-lobby" based MLAs forward; something that won't be easy.



But then, if a party dares to teach another one on morality and best practices, it should first get its own act together. Practice what you preach!

2G Scam – Let’s do beyond reporting and instead enact a stringent LAW to punish any offenders of such scams

One of the most important characteristics that a leader should have is Integrity. The importance of this quality would be core to a leader, especially if he is holding any public office and using tax payer’s money. One who doesn’t have this quality, doesn’t deserve to hold any government office.

The 2G scam has crossed benchmarks of being relentlessly greedy for personal objectives over duty-based obligations. It is not only an act of utter shamefulness, it only makes every fellow citizen even further away from trusting politicians. It is quite unfortunate to note that while politics as a subject is deep and for the benefit of the society, it has only got negative connotations, thanks to such politicians and scams.

But, while we debate on how this Rs 1.4 Lakh Crores (or so) scam happened in the first place, the questions and the consequences of this scam have far reaching implications.

I do not think anyone doubts the integrity of our Prime Minister. However, it is tragic to note that because of this notion of “coalition dharma”, such a corrupt Telecom Minister could make a fool of the system. 

Yes, if the PM would have intervened while noticing that the telecom minister was not following the rules and regulations properly, it may have costed him DMK’s ire and hence a risk to the Congress led government. However, not daring to stop a scam like this, to either save the government or because of total ignorance of such an act occurring, only raises eyebrows from the common man on street. There have been some news reports indicating that certain MPs had highlighted related issues to the PM, even 2 years back. This makes many bewildered that why even then no action was taken.

There is nothing more addictive and loathing than the greed of power, which is driven by money. If this scam comes out true, as shown by an impartial CAG report (the report - which we understand from the media), then there is a need to make a case out of this, so much that no other politician dares to do something like this again.

I and many an average Indian would demand a fair enquiry. But, it is high time that there is a need for a strict Law that punishes such offenders. If POTA, TADA and the likes have existed in India, there is no other more important law needed in India than one that states accountability of our Ministers and politicians.

RTI has bought a revolution. It only needs to be taken to the next step – ACCOUNTABILITY.

There should be a strict anti-corruption law, under which all politicians and people holding a government office should be covered. And yes, I am not talking about just a regular bill which gets enacted, but something which is far more decisive and lays down a transparent process to enable a fast final judgement. The act should have provisions of severe punishment (not just few years of jail).

There should be a specific branch under Judiciary, at the highest level, which should look only at such cases. The process should be fast (not more than 3 months in normal issues and 6 months in complex issues) and if the Minister/ politician/ public servant is found guilty, punishment should be no less than ensuring that the person regrets cheating the nation and its people. Additionally, we should have an independent arm of investigation (and not CBI), which doesn’t come under the government and is independent (like CAG). This investigation arm should table a report in each session of the Parliament, highlighting the status of all issues of corruption against current and past parliamentarians.

Anti-corruption and vigilance agencies need to be re-modeled/ energized. Specific objectives should be laid and the officials running these agencies should be answerable to the public at large. Bi-annual media briefings should be given to the press to highlight the status of key corruption cases.

Lastly, the whistle-blower policy should be clear, strengthened and transparent. One who highlights the issue should not be harassed and the system should ensure that enough encouragement is provided to officials who are honest and ethical.

Let us be heard and let this be debated!