Wow! The first half of 2010 really hasn’t been very pleasant for the UPA government. From the omnipresent inflation to iplgate and tapgate, its been a rocky ride. And if there wasn’t enough on their plate, A Raja certainly made up for it! Well I’m sure the telecom minister must be wishing the 3G auction had never even begun, since that’s what set the ball rolling in the first place.
So the Indian telecom industry has a lot to look forward to, the introduction of 3G heralds the coming of a new era. The bids for the 3G technology have been mind-blowing to say the least. The Indian treasury must be beaming with joy!
Unfortunately for the UPA, the DMK and Raja, the astronomical bids for the new technology raised countless questions about the previous allocation of 2G technology rights. The 2G technology was allocated, rather than auctioned, in 2008 for a comparatively paltry sum of approximately 1500 crores. The Government of India is said to have sustained a loss of more than 60,000 crores due to this sale. Firstly, the 2G technology was sold in the year 2008 at prices calculated in the year 2001. According to calculations, the auction of 2G technology may even have raked in more money than the 3G auction due to a better economic environment at the time. Also, the Indian telecom sector is mainly composed of voice callers who utilise 2G technology as opposed to data users who utilise 3G technology.
Despite repeated assurances from Raja concerning the transparency and adherence to rules in the 2G auction, it has now come to light that the Telecom minister ignored advice from TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) regarding the format of the sale. Correspondence from the TRAI clearly shows the body advising the minister that auction format will result in maximum revenue for the government. In addition to this, orders from the Prime Minister’s Office directing Raja to keep the PM appraised of all actions with regard to the 2G technology were also ignored by Raja.
So what brings about such reckless insubordination? In my opinion, knowing that his party (the DMK) will use all its clout to keep him in position is quite a chip on the Telecom minister’s shoulder. Being aware of the fragile balancing act Congress is enacting in this coalition government, well that knowledge couldn’t hurt either! And then ofcourse there’s the case of the corporate lobbyists. The corrupt ways of the incumbent Telecom minister are now all but accepted. Raja allegedly received huge kickbacks to award the 2G licenses to the companies in question, companies which in turn sold their stake to foreign companies at massive profits.
Many pertinent questions need to be asked of this issue, but our politicians seem to think staging walkouts and adjourning parliament seems to be the best solution. The first question : is this the future of the UPA government-to be held hostage by any tom,dick and harry ally over n number of issues? Watching a distinguished scholar such as Dr. Manmohan Singh defending a rogue like A. Raja is thoroughly disgusting! The Congress threw out Tharoor at the hint of wrong doing but here they can’t recognise a corrupt politician even while he’s dancing around with a huge ‘x marks the spot’ sign! If this is the nature of coalition governments, then they should surely be banned. A member of the alliance binds the Congress’ hands and disallows it from upholding the laws of the land, now that’s something which doesn’t honour democracy in the least. It was frustrating to see Karunanidhi with a beaming smile tell the press that he doesn’t bring the good news of Raja’s exit. Shame on the dirty politics of our coalition government.
The second question: can we as a nation not think beyond caste? Why else would a seasoned politician such as Karunanidhi even think of suggesting that the only reason Raja is being targeted is because he’s a Dalit. Either that, or caste in India transforms everything into a catch 22 situation- nobody can win,so just be satisfied with status quo!
The third question: do we not understate the influence of lobbyists in our political system?
Corporate kickbacks are something which are inherently present in every democracy with room for corruption. There is an urgent need to recognise the power of these lobbyists and work out ways to counter their moves.
The coming days will tell how this new drama will unfold, whether the CBI and Vigilance Committee investigations are just superficial or will they actually uncover the mystery. Also it will be interesting to watch Congress manoeuvres while balancing out the DMK’s demands on one hand and public opinion on the other. I sincerely hope the Congress, more accurately 10 Janpath, will find the courage within itself to stand up and implement the law. Even if this destabilises the government, it will once again bring about the halo effect which the Congress had once gained when Sonia Gandhi turned down the PM’s post. The cherry on the cake will be if Karunanidhi (minus the smile) will deliver the “good news”!
Signing off,
Saumya Sharma,
New Delhi,
7th May, 2010.
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