It is indeed a long time since anyone praised the ruling party. Well, the Congress deserves some praise for making the scam accused resign. It is obviously not punishment at all. However, the resignations are a good first step. Irrespective of the fake moral high ground the party took, it is an acknowledgment that something is wrong. The resignations are also an admission that the ruling party is not immune to media pressure and a public outcry. Politicians realize the scams are mainstream this time, and not just something the intellectual elite debates on English news channels. I spoke to around a dozen cab drivers in the last month, and more than two-thirds knew about at least one of the major scams and the people involved.
This unscientific anecdotal evidence is revealing. Media hammering of scams in the past few months has finally penetrated the consciousness of the man on the street. It is hard to say if it has affected the rural voter.
This unscientific anecdotal evidence is revealing. Media hammering of scams in the past few months has finally penetrated the consciousness of the man on the street. It is hard to say if it has affected the rural voter.
In fact, scams have become quite entertaining to watch on TV. They have provided meaty content to channels. None of the viewers believes that the accused leader is innocent. Yet, it is fun to see them defend themselves using almost any possible excuse – from the slow court system to the classic `but everyone else is doing it’. It is gripping reality TV —the confident smiles and swagger of the accused even as the world sees evidence of their guilt. Of course the best part is the defiant `why should I resign?’, a sure sign they will very soon. It is reminiscent of the Iraqi information minister who was on TV proclaiming Iraqi victory even as American tanks rolled by right behind him. He was the most entertaining part about the Gulf War.
Yes, the Congress’ defensiveness has indeed made things worse for them. The more it denies, the longer the news story survives, the more fun it is to watch, and the higher the TRPs, until finally the scamster ant is fried in the magnifying glass of the media glare.
So aren’t resignations enough to douse the flames of a media story? That’s the best that used to happen before, in the old India we grew up in. This time though, it isn’t enough. Take this example: A murderer shoots a man. When caught, he offers to surrender the gun. Or rather, he offers to give the gun to his best friend. Now isn’t that how Indian politicians are punished? To give another example, a man batters his wife. When caught, he offers to leave the room. Is this how he will reform? Is this how to send a strong message to future wife-beaters?
Resignations used to be the pacifiers stuffed in old India’s face, as it watched the government PR agency called Doordarshan. Things have changed. The media is on fire. The young generation knows the difference between lip service and real punishment for crime. And they communicate with each other far more than the previous generation. If the ruling party doesn’t punish the guilty, the resignations will actually backfire.
Yes, the Congress’ defensiveness has indeed made things worse for them. The more it denies, the longer the news story survives, the more fun it is to watch, and the higher the TRPs, until finally the scamster ant is fried in the magnifying glass of the media glare.
So aren’t resignations enough to douse the flames of a media story? That’s the best that used to happen before, in the old India we grew up in. This time though, it isn’t enough. Take this example: A murderer shoots a man. When caught, he offers to surrender the gun. Or rather, he offers to give the gun to his best friend. Now isn’t that how Indian politicians are punished? To give another example, a man batters his wife. When caught, he offers to leave the room. Is this how he will reform? Is this how to send a strong message to future wife-beaters?
Resignations used to be the pacifiers stuffed in old India’s face, as it watched the government PR agency called Doordarshan. Things have changed. The media is on fire. The young generation knows the difference between lip service and real punishment for crime. And they communicate with each other far more than the previous generation. If the ruling party doesn’t punish the guilty, the resignations will actually backfire.
It could be tough, almost unthinkable; to put senior leaders behind bars, but there may not be much choice. To do this, the Congress would have to take three difficult steps. One, it needs to proactively classify its leaders, internally, as honest or corrupt. Two, re-jig its power structure, perhaps through a portfolio re-allocation —and give power to honest leaders. This is hard and will need a lot of backing from the top. Three, once power is with the honest lot, they can take severe action, at least against the most visibly corrupt. This can be a `reputation restoration’ opportunity. The Congress could take as its mission, cleaning India of corruption.
However, if the Congress finds this too tough, maybe it would be wiser if the government fell; the party is cleaned up and comes back in another election. Staying in power is a privilege, but a burden too. An injured weightlifter has to put down the weights, recover and then lift them up again. To hold on to power with the help of corrupt partners is not a safe bet anymore. Every scam-artist minister is a time bomb waiting to explode.
Finally, a word for the Opposition. It is doing the right thing by going after corruption. But it should not slam the entire Congress party on every occasion and should move from the slander-fest to a solution. It should focus on punishment for the guilty. Just as a terrorist has no religion, a corrupt politician has no political party. That is the attitude one needs. If all the political parties, the media and we, the citizens, play our roles right, we can spring-clean our country. Let’s leave a better India for the next generation so that their children say scams were something their grandfathers used to talk about.
However, if the Congress finds this too tough, maybe it would be wiser if the government fell; the party is cleaned up and comes back in another election. Staying in power is a privilege, but a burden too. An injured weightlifter has to put down the weights, recover and then lift them up again. To hold on to power with the help of corrupt partners is not a safe bet anymore. Every scam-artist minister is a time bomb waiting to explode.
Finally, a word for the Opposition. It is doing the right thing by going after corruption. But it should not slam the entire Congress party on every occasion and should move from the slander-fest to a solution. It should focus on punishment for the guilty. Just as a terrorist has no religion, a corrupt politician has no political party. That is the attitude one needs. If all the political parties, the media and we, the citizens, play our roles right, we can spring-clean our country. Let’s leave a better India for the next generation so that their children say scams were something their grandfathers used to talk about.