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Politics of vendetta: A study in contrast

B.S. Raghavan

THE leading lights of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), especially its General Secretary, Ms J. Jayalalitha, need to ask themselves why the entire nation, barring their alliance partners and some partisan vested interests, has been u nsparing in its condemnation of the party and the Government formed by it for violating all norms of civility and decency in effecting the arrests of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, and the Union Cabinet Ministers, Mr Murasoli Ma ran and Mr T.R. Baalu.

Of the epithets used by commentators, and even in statements of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the milder ones are foul play, rampage, uncivilised, barbaric (this from Mr Ramdoss, head of the Pattali Makkal Katchi allied to A IADMK), rape/murder of democracy, and orgy of vendetta.

The impulsive, immature and impolitic action has invited flak from all sections of the mainstream media, and even from parties in alliance with the AIADMK. It must come to that party and its supremo as a dark and disturbing shadow of coming events that t he PMK chief, Mr Ramdoss, had not signed the statement issued by the AIADMK and the so-called ``secular'' parties hanging by its coattails explaining away the deplorable aspects of the vindictive reprisals against the prominent leaders and members of the DMK.

Since Ms Jayalalitha is fond of comparing situations, it must have struck her that when, in 1996, the just then elected DMK Government arrested her and her former Ministerial and party colleagues on charges of corruption, amassing of ill-gotten wealth di sproportionate to known sources of income and abuse of power, there was no similar nationwide outrage.

The cases as well as the arrests were widely seen as a just retribution for, and flowing naturally from, all that she and her party had been rightly or wrongly associated with in the public mind. The wedding of her foster son which became a byword for vu lgarity and obnoxious ostentation throughout the world only confirmed the impression of the worst that was being talked about herself and her cohorts.

That cans of stinking worms relating to offences unbelievably colossal in scale and magnitude were being opened at the same time by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income-Tax Department under the Union Government which, by no stretch of imagination, could be accused of gunning for her at that time, lent an aura of credibility and plausibility to the actions of the Tamil Nadu Government.

Further, Mr Karunanidhi, the seasoned veteran in the art and science of administration and governance that he is, saw to it that the cases were properly registered and investigated on the strength of a professional marshalling of facts and evidence and t he arrests carried out in conformity with the guidelines of the Supreme Court and the Code of Conduct for the Police circulated by the Union Government.

Everything was done with finesse, in its own time and sequence, and in step with the requirements of law and procedure. That was why, whether the cases did or will succeed or not, there was not a whiff of suggestion of inadequate preparation or documenta tion that the investigating personnel had to face in courts.

Whatever has happened in l'affaire Karunanidhi is a disgusting contrast in every respect, bringing no credit in the world's eyes to either the political culture of Tamil Nadu or the intelligence and efficiency of its administrative and police establishme nts.

The worst part is everything has been so blatantly screwed up: An officer who had himself been suspended and proceeded against in corruption cases during the previous regime, and therefore, patently in a vengeful frame of mind, and posted as the Commissi oner of Chennai Corporation only a few days earlier, draws up a report in a matter of couple of hours on the ``corruption'' in the execution a complex project implicating 14 persons, including the former Chief Minister, the former Chief Secretary, the Ma yor and Dr N.S. Srinivasan.

The inclusion of Mr Nambiar and Mr Srinivasan alone is enough to damn the exercise as the former is known for his integrity and incorruptibility among all who had known him and worked with him and the latter is a recipient of awards and commendations fro m world bodies, the Union Government and even from the previous Government of the AIADMK, and had nothing to do with the nitty-gritty of the project.

With such personages implicated on a major and important project executed by world-renowned agencies such as Larsen & Toubro and Gammon which also are tarred in the bargain for complicity and collusion, it is incumbent of the Commissioner to submit his r eport to the Secretary of Municipal Administration and get the Government's clearance in writing before he proceeds to take any action whatsoever.

But no, he sends the papers, cursorily conceived as they are, directly to the CB-CID where the nominated investigating officer receives it well into the evening of July 29. He consults his superior officers who direct him at 8 p.m. the same day to make t he mass arrests in one fell swoop, and in a manner that violates all the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission and the categorical directives of the Supreme Court.

The investigating officer cuts a sorry figure before the Court admitting that he could not find evidence of any quid pro quo by any of the persons arrested, and that he was yet to scrutinise the details of the various transactions.

In answer to a direct query by the Court as to why he disregarded the Court's orders to have Mr Karunanidhi examined by a panel of doctors before he was taken to prison, he blithely says that he entrusted the task to a deputy commissioner of police and d oes not know why he did not carry it out.

No wonder, the Judge himself asked whether his heart was made of muscle or mud. Most of us similarly wonder whether the brains of those who plotted the whole operations were made of neurons or nettle. If the Chief Secretary is worth his salt, he would im mediately act in conformity with the Supreme Court's directive that the officers concerned in such instances of brazen transgression should be hauled up for contempt of court and made to face departmental proceedings against them as well.

Finally, a word to the higher ranks of the Indian Administrative and Police Services of the State: Kindly live up to the lofty ideals and traditions of the once premier Services. Save them from becoming a disgrace.

A very respected retired member of the IPS who had held very high positions sent me an e-mail saying that he was wanting to dissociate himself from the Service ab initio to wash himself off the taint that has attached itself to it in recent years.

In Tamil Nadu, in particular, even the so-called All-India Services have been so polarised between the two Dravidian parties that nothing can be taken on trust coming from them and even seeing is not believing any more.

Pic.: Mr Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.