KEJRIWAL - BREAKING THE OMERTA CODE

By Ruma Dubey

The ‘breaking news” expose every week on Wednesday by Kejriwal is somehow becoming a non-issue. Yesterday’s expose on the links between India’s corporate world and the political leadership, casting aspersions on Reliance Industries, did not really raise any eyebrows.  

It was something which we all knew all along. It would be naïve to live in today’s India, where without greasing palms, nothing ever moves, and to assume that businesses, that too of the size of RIL could run without corruption would be plain stupid. Of course, we all knew that RIL dictates policy moves in its sector; after all, it is the largest private sector company in India and houses the richest man in India.  

Actually, more than the expose, somehow, people have got into a ‘fatigue’ factor. When the first news about Vadra and DLF came out, yes, it was sensational and somehow, with nothing overtly negative never getting published about the Gandhi family, this news was ‘big’. The realty dealings, which Vadar was involved in with DLF is the usual modus operandi of all such shady realty deals. Ask any Chartered Accountant and he will tell you for sure that this the usual ‘trick’. Yet to see the daamad of the first family of India getting caught was huge.

There was so much hullabaloo over it but what happened after that? Nothing! Zilch! If you noticed, Vadra does not even figure out in the newspapers; it is as though his entire issue of corruption on Vadra just vanished into thin air; it almost seems as though the media bandwagon has been ‘advised’ to keep off and like obedient children, they are indeed sitting tight with a finger on the lips!

Vadra was overshadowed then by the expose on Nitin Gadkari. Kejriwal wanted to show that he is not out with knives and daggers against only the UPA but is targeting the BJP also. Though Kejriwal presented a very weak case, the media took it up and investigated into the dealings and came out with a bigger story than what Kejriwal intended.

But after both these exposes, did anything, apart from fiery debates on TV happen? People now know nothing comes out of these. Yes, Kejriwal is doing a good job of bringing out all the muck, which was simmering underneath, out into the open. We should give him credit for at least prompting TV channels to discuss these issues and whether something comes off it or not, at least people are aware.

Yet, through all this, there is a niggling sense of doubt now coming up that Kejriwal too has his own agenda set up and maybe this is not about exposing corruption alone.  Today, Anna made a statement that Kejriwal may never want to be wealthy, but he is not above being lured by power. Now this is an extremely damaging statement and coming from Anna, who actually brought to fore Kejriwal, comes as a dampener, reiterating what people have started feeling – maybe Kejriwal has his own political ambitions in mind when he makes these exposes. That sense of integrity, that he is incorruptible, is now clouded.

And those in power are also sensing this disenchantment with Kejriwal at the moment. They do not know whether to react or ignore him. But the best thing which Kejriwal has done is that he has at least got all this out in the open  instead of getting talked about in hushed whispers. He has also made is much more difficult for politicians and India Inc to blatantly entertain corruption. No, corruption will not get rooted out but now people have to come out with ingenious ways to take bribes. Though no one ever gets convicted in our country, there is a sense of fear which has come in which was not there earlier. The fact that TV channels are today debating over the nexus between politicians and India Inc is good.

Yes, Kejiwal’s expose might be looking ‘flat’ today but he should not give up, as people need to be constantly reminded about issues or else they tend to forget and move on. Irrespective of Kejriwa’s intentions, one should laud his courage and hopefully, will continue to make Wednesday’s interesting.

We Indians desperately need a new political party and if Kejriwal gives us something better than the current crop of ‘leaders’, why not?  Change is always good but one hopes that the hunger for power does not corrupt Kejriwal’s intentions.

But apart from these exposes, which really do not affect me or you directly, he needs to expose corruption which affects us directly – Public Works Department, healthcare, police, Public Distribution System, the various social programs and such issues. That will show that he is indeed worried about the aam aadmi and not just about the happenings in the higher ups. But maybe working for the aam aadmi will not help him fulfill his political ambitions?