Maureen Vadra and Maharashtra MlAs have brought shame to humanity in India. Maureen has been clandestinely enjoying super VIP status with a Government security cover without having any public credentials. The Delhi police had organised the expensive security cover for her only because she is Priyanka Gandhi’s mother-in-law. Maureen became a known creature only because of this expose by media. She is just a Ms Nobody. Even after the UPA regime was gone, some sycophantic police officials kept the matter hidden from the authorities and kept a force deployed to have the nondescript lady protected from dust, mosquitoes and flies. She never had any threat perception to attract security cover even if she were a celebrity. Robert Vadra too had abused his marital status to exploit the country to the hilt. He was part of the ‘no-frisk’ list at the Indian airports until there was a hue and cry against it, especially when he was entangled in multiple land grab and other such activities to make big money without investing labour or money. Now, there is a legitimate public demand for recovery of the cost from Maureen, failing which police would be forced to cough out Rs 10 crore spent on her across thirteen years of fun time. It is extremely logical to penalise the Delhi police authorities who felt proud to serve the ordinary lady by robbing the public. That the Modi administration had chosen to remain oblivious of the grave fact is a big surprise. The Congress is virtually gone for now because of biggies being associated with tainted characters like Vadras, et al.
More shockingly, a legal luminary like Kapil Sibal of the Congress does not seem to understand the spirit of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution. He says the ‘3-talaq’ matter is something to do with religious beliefs and not to be touched by the courts of law. Incidentally, he is the counsel-pleader-lawyer-advocate for the All India Personal Muslim law Board; hence, his crap. Besides, the UPA allies are all in trouble: Nitish has lost credibility due to association with lalu, who is a branded usurper of public property. He ate up cattle feed and grabbed huge tracts of valuable land across locations in India where power flows. He never wavered from sharing robbery skills with his grown children, both male and female. Two Minister-sons have brought a great deal of discomfort to Nitish; daughter Misa is now in a fix for having grabbed land here and there. So, the JD(U) is also defamed badly. lalu and Nitish were once the shadows of illustrious statesman Jayaparakash Narayan, whose efforts saved India in 1977 from the torture of the ‘Emergency’ imposed on Indians by Indira Gandhi.
Public robbery is not limited to the Delhi police and Vadras only. An all-party group of Maharashtra MlAs, mostly comprising BJP leaders, have been sent on a food-n-fun trip to Australia, New Zealand via Singapore in the pretext of getting trained in farming. The junket by this delegation is nothing short of brazen tourism at the tax payers’ expense. Most shamefully, the legislators have packed their wives with them too lest loneliness would depress them and cause learning failure! Singapore, incidentally, is a zero-farming city state. It is only a shoppers’ paradise. Further, the homestead and corporate farming in Australia or New Zealand have nothing in common with the Indian farming system. It’s winter now in the zone; hence, the pleasure trip by the robbers in the guise of law makers.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is also in for trouble. Mamata ensures austerity in her lifestyle and conduct. But critics say that’s only her outward facade to deceive the public. Allegedly, her relatives remain constantly engaged in amassing wealth by guile. But rumours are rumours. She is still respected as a substance-stuffed woman who sports cheap cotton dares and Hawaii chappales to convince the masses that she is an ordinary servant of the people. All the same, she loses cool if critics write about her errors or take jibes at her on some issue or the other. Modi and Mamata are by now sworn enemies. No one knows what fate will befall Mamata in the next battle. It may be noted well that the Supreme Court has confirmed the Calcutta High Court’s instructions to the CBI that a probe has to be made into the Narada scam, rejecting the appeal by Roy and Adhikari for a stay. It also extracted an apology from the Trinamool Congress for complaining that the “Findings of High Court are perverse done with a pre-conditioned mind.
High Court has developed a bias. High Court has transgressed all constitutional norms and made unwarranted comments.”
The BJD led by Naveen Patnaik is still the least-tainted among political outfits in India. The ponzi scams that are attributed to the party are in fact personal greed problems of leaders who have never been protected by the party boss. Naveen has never come in the way of law. Naveen is keenly aware that the BJP invasion is intensifying fast and may become tough to resist or thwart if adequate strategies are not devised and applied soon. Baijayant Panda could be a threat. Bhartruhari has cut himself down to size because he has realised he is a hollow zero without the Naveen backup. Strangely, the ‘conch’ symbol and Naveen are synonymous among the youths of Odisha. The point being driven here is that Naveen will be much safer to go alone in the 2019 polls with promised post-poll alliance with credible parties the number of which is miniscule.
The BJD will, however, face a very tough battle if most of the coastal leaders do not reform themselves. Their public behaviour is awfully arrogant, and some of them have been known for having amassed huge wealth by abusing power or using ill-gotten money. It is high time Naveen did a cross-check on all those politicians who have become wealthier after entering politics. The BJP is taking stock on this score and likely to disconcert several BJD leaders. Though outwardly some of the coastal leaders appear to be winning horses, they are going to be the cause of disaster for the party. local BJP leaders are compiling a list of all that the BJD leaders have grabbed over the years, particularly managed by relatives and children. Any BJD leader leading a luxurious lifestyle and holding home courts to show off and trying to disturb officials by forcing them to please them unlawfully or using influence to have the clean ones transferred are going to bite dust this time. The Nimapada MlA could not even ensure victory for his own brother in the Zila Parishad polls. Whether or not he is financially corrupt, no one can prove easily, but his highhanded behaviour and intimidating public communication has cost the party dear. Same with others. Too much property-related controversies in news! Old Pyari devotees too can cause damage if not reigned in fittingly.
Naveenbabu must know too well that even today the poorest of the poor among the homeless do not get an Indira Awas or Mo Kudia without parting with twenty five per cent of their entitlement to brokers and officials. The Naveen magic will wane fast if these concerns are not addressed instantly.
The MlAs are still granting contract works to thugs who stand by them. The ethically correct one goes back home without work. The thugs eat up money after sharing some with corrupt officials, and the end result is an unacceptable product which causes immense public loss and danger.
Humility, probity and simplicity with display of exemplary practice of austerity alone can enliven the BJD like in the beginning. Or else, any threat can emerge, and such terrible things can happen as Chidambaram and his son Karti and the lalu home gang are facing without much defence in sight.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)