When crooks run a government, truth will be the first casualty. From this basis, they build the rest in their nasty scheme of things. It is premature to blame the Modi government for some controversial transfers effected in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) establishment that scrutinizes government spending. But, there is every chance that mischief has been played at the highest level in these transfers — among others — of three senior officials who produced some sensational audit reports. The three were transferred this week – exactly a month after these reports caused a furore in Parliament. The audit exposed chances of huge corruption in the Dwarka Expressway Project and the Ayushman Bharat. One officer, in particular was involved in the audit report on the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I.
In the Dwarka project, the cost escalation was mind-boggling – from the initial estimate of Rs 18 crore to Rs 250 crore per kilometre. Notably, this hike was done with approval from the political bosses – the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. This rekindles old memories. The UPA-II had an inglorious exit from power in 2014, mainly on the back of the CAG reports that cited huge corruption in the 2G Spectrum allocations and the award of coal mine contracts. Now, in the run-up to the 2024 parliament polls, we are back to square one. The halo of Modi being incorruptible could fade if the Opposition pursued these issues to their logical conclusion.
India is getting increasingly corrupt at the political and bureaucratic levels. The clever among these join hands and loot the exchequer right and left. Leaders who come to power for a term of no more than five years are not serious about setting such wrongs right. The weaklings rather build on the shaky foundations left behind by the previous government. Many leaders wielding power do not necessarily govern. They effect cosmetic improvements, play safe, avoid live wires, and start concentrating on ways to retain their power for the next term too by wooing the people via kits and the like. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no exception. Overall, he avoided creating awkward situations, showed a sense of maturity and effected improvements in some areas. But, a lot of work is left undone. He tackled only a fraction of India’s pressing problems. Putting a lot of money in highway development was a good idea. The Vande Bharat trains are certainly an improvement on the jaded and rusted rail system. Yet, the speed of Indian Railways as a whole is ludicrously low even nearly ten years after Modi promised to take the nation to the Bullet age. And add to these the new corruption scandals. Corruption is clearly embedded in the vitals of governance in this country.
