Recently when the 2G verdict was to be pronounced, the two main Accused walked into the courtroom confidently and with a smile on their faces. There were no signs of trepidation or apprehension, almost as if they knew the verdict beforehand. The entry was made neta-style with smiles, imperious waves to the crowd and confident body language. They came accompanied with a crowd of supporters who almost threatened to disrupt the proceedings. For a brief moment, one was reminded of encounter sites in Kashmir where stone-pelting mobs materialise within seconds to disrupt action by security forces. TV reporters complained about the disturbance caused by these ‘supporters ‘ whose presence could well be taken as a menacing show of strength by these ‘leaders ‘. Who knows, had the verdict been adverse, what they might have done?
As soon as the 2G verdict was announced, the DMK supporters broke into loud cheers.
The Business Line of December 21 reported how “DMK supporters were seen bursting firecrackers outside the Court complex and showered Raja and Kanimozhi with flowers as soon as they stepped out of the Court.” The DMK cadre celebrated the acquittal saying “ Justice has won” (Times of India, December 21)
India must be the only country where people accused of swindling taxpayers are feted and treated like ‘heroes’. They go in with confident smiles adorning their guilty faces and flashing the V sign.
In the case of the 2G hearing, the supporters were prepared with crackers and mithai. What an irony that when the hopes of billions of swindled Indians are dashed to the ground by a shocking verdict, supporters of these ‘netas’ actually had the gall to distribute mithai and talk about ‘Justice being delivered ‘as soon as the verdict was pronounced as if some great ‘freedom fighters’ had been vindicated after great ‘trials and tribulations’. As if this wasn’t enough, placards of ‘Satyamev Jayate ‘ were brandished as if on cue and sound bytes taken from the ‘victorious ‘ netas, whose status changed from ‘accused ‘ to ‘acquitted ‘ within minutes. So basically people who should have been heading for jail, were leading a ‘victory march’ amidst celebrations.
The festivities continued the next day in Chennai at the DMK headquarters where news of promoting the two freshly-acquitted Scamsters started doing the rounds. What were they being rewarded for? Their brazenness in denying the existence of a scam that the whole country was aware of? Or sheer stubborn persistence in denying their involvement?
Close on the heels of this huge and decidedly undeserved reprieve came the Mumbai High Court’s decision on December 23, to set aside the Maharashtra Governor’s sanction to prosecute former CM and Congress leader Ashok Chavan’s prosecution in the Adarsh Society Case. Reacting to this ruling Chavan, whose relatives own three flats in a building meant for Kargil War Widows, smugly remarked, “Truth has prevailed. I have full faith in the judiciary. The Governor’s order was politically motivated.” What the Congress leader did not add was, ‘Let the celebrations begin’!
This was followed by the verdict for Scam No. 3 in quick succession. The neta involved in this case was none other than Lalu Prasad Yadav. Buoyed by the success of his predecessors that week, an overconfident Lalu travelled to the Ranchi Court in a cavalcade of vehicles with a bevy of supporters and TV cameras. Despite having been convicted in one of the cases related to the Fodder Scam, Lalu chose to make an ostentatious entry rather than the quiet one expected from the guilty. A portly, visibly well-fed neta walked in pompously, secure in the delusion that the 2G verdict would get an encore. So confident were the milling mobs waiting outside the Court room waiting in anticipation that they even spread the rumour that Lalu had been acquitted.
As India Today reported, “Before the CBI judge could actually read the judgement, some of the RJD workers started celebrating saying that Lalu had been acquitted. “ Talk about overconfidence! Fortunately they turned out to be wrong as the truth soon followed and this cocky neta and his gang had to give up the ‘baja and baraat’ that was on stand by mode. Otherwise, we would have been subjected to the ordeal of yet another round of ‘festivity’ and sermons about truth and justice!
What is it about Indian politics that makes people treat their netas as gods? When will the sins and scams of the corrupt catch up with them? For the shameless Congress celebrating these verdicts and hailing the acquittals as ‘justice’, a reality check is in order. Flawed verdicts and the denial of justice is not the victory of Congress over Modi, as these myopic politicians desperately seek to project, it is actually the failure of a nation to punish those who loot its resources.
Celebrating the victory of corruption over truth is not the defeat of Modi, it is the trampling of the hopes of billions of Indians who seek real justice! The scams cheated India and caused huge losses to the ex-chequer, they were not a personal loss that Modi needs to avenge. The day all Indians realise this, no scams will go unpunished and the guilty will no longer be showered with rose petals in a gross miscarriage of justice!