The floodgates of corruption seem to have opened up on the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-2 government. Even before the embers of Coalgate could cool, the government received another body blow with railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew, Mr V. Singla, being arrested Friday night on bribery charges. He allegedly struck a deal with Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar to make him the man in charge of the most lucrative “electrical” unit.
The deal was allegedly struck for a total of `10 crore of which `2 two crore has already been paid. The CBI has so far been able to recover only `90 lakh. So far, six persons, including Mr Singla, Mr Mahesh Kumar, middlemen Sandip Goyal and Manjunath and two delivery boys have been arrested.
Mr Bansal has remained defiant and has refused to step down. On Saturday, the Congress officially came out in support of the railway minister with party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi flaying the BJP-led Opposition, saying, “For those who are demanding his resignation, it has become a disease.” However, with a trust deficit haunting the party, the Congress “could change its stance anytime and ask Mr Bansal to put in his papers”, sources said.
For the Congress, the controversy could not have come at a worse time. Not only is Karnataka is going to the polls on Sunday, but the CBI is also set to submit a fresh affidavit on the Coalgate scam to the Supreme Court, which is now breathing fire on the government for its alleged attempt to change the draft probe report.
Mr Bansal, who kept dodging the media throughout Saturday, met the Prime Minister and later appeared before the Congress core committee to offer an explanation. He tried to distance himself from the bribery scam. Mr Bansal won’t go, Congress tells Opp: How is it Bansal’s fault, asks JD-U: Bansal’s statement read: “Regarding yesterday’s incident involving my sister’s firm in a CBI raid at Chandigarh, I have to say that I have no knowledge or proof about the matter at all. Though a close relative, he or any other relative of mine does not and cannot meddle in my official function or influence my decision. There is also no business relationship between his and my family.” Mr Bansal also reportedly told the party high command that he would like to “offer an explanation in Parliament”.
Despite denials and efforts to distance himself from the controversy, the railway minister remained a target for the Opposition as he was one of the signatories who decided the appointment of Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, who took charge on May 2.
For the Opposition, the buck, however, might not stop with the railway minister. The other person to sign off on Mr Mahesh Kumar’s appointment letter was Prime Minister Singh.
Despite his clean image, the PM has suddenly found himself the “prime target” of the Opposition. For observers, he seems to have lost his moral high ground as the scam-tainted UPA-2 is now being accused of trying to shield him from the Coalgate scam. Scalded by scandals and accused of being “too weak to lead”, Dr Singh, who had refused to rule himself out for a possible third term, could now find the doors closing on him fast. Also, two of his closest aides, law minister Ashwani Kumar and railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, are now in the line of fire. There are apprehensions in political circles that another high profile minister could be hit by another scam.
If the grim-faced Congress brass and ministers are trying to brazen it out, the BJP generals are charged up as they could not have asked for more. “This government is no more a government of middlemen. It is a government of dealers, brokers and middlemen where every government decision is up for sale and you must be prepared to offer the price,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad charged. The Congress’ key ally at the Centre, the Samajwadi Party, not only demanded Mr Bansal’s resignation on “moral grounds” but in Lucknow SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav continued issuing veiled threats, saying “the need of the hour is to grab power at the Centre”.