Editorial: Delayed As It Is
…the very finding that Koda got his wealth after 2000 when he became a minister and a bulk of which during 2006-07 when he was chief minister, is a very crucial point of probe. He became chief minister with Congress party’s support. It’s natural if Congress leaders are suspected a role in Koda’s monetary misadventure. The delay in his arrest has been seen in this light …
No one can really question if there was delay in arresting former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda in 4000 crore money laundering scam, if the pace with which Indian legal system works is taken into account. So at least on this count, central government cannot be truly held guilty, as opposition parties have been saying for quite some time now. However, this doesn’t answer the questions raised by them. The very finding that Koda, whose rags to riches story spans a poorly short nine years in regime, got his wealth after 2000 when he became a minister and a bulk of which during 2006-07 when he was chief minister, is a very crucial point of probe. He became chief minister with Congress party’s support. It’s, therefore, natural if Congress leaders are either suspected or accused of a role in Koda’s monetary misadventure. The delay in his arrest has been seen in this light hitherto. And why not, he has made daring statements all along? The case is politically motivated, he said, I’ll expose those behind the scam etc. Well, his daring doesn’t stop here. After being discharged from the hospital, he has successfully steered clear of the arrest, first he said he wanted to focus on Jharkhand elections and then he said ‘I will go wherever they call me’. A couple of days ago, we heard something more daunting. He wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and said it had to give him a 10-day advance notice and also inform the Speaker before arresting him.
The way Koda has acted so far in this case points definitely to a nexus of some relatively powerful people behind him. The very scam and, on the top of it, steps like complaint of sudden stomache to get hospitalized and then going to election campaign turning blind eyes to notices of ED and the Income Tax Department contribute to the highest shame of the political fraternity. Even a lay man, who is following the case on TV or his favourite daily, will find it easy to confidently say that Koda has not cooperated in the case as yet. Even if the case is really politically inspired – why it be so if his erstwhile political allies are in power at the Centre? – it doesn’t absolve him of the way he has comported himself. The interpretation of his lack of fear should not be narrowly limited only upto the hobnobbing with some people still in power, it goes on to show that law means nothing to politicians no matter the corruption accusations on them are unprecedented, more obvious, and easily detectable. They are capable of belittling them. Yes, opposition made much hue and cry on the issue. It’s difficult not to construe Koda’s arrest, belated as it is, as an outcome of such pressures.
India has not punished any of its politicians for corruption. In this backdrop, Koda’s arrest, delayed and difficult, is further devoid of any hope of justice as well. Indeed, there will be conventional inquiries, chargesheet, court cases and all.
