Why not ‘impeach’ Vinod Rai?... : The Tribune India

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Why not ‘impeach’ Vinod Rai?...

Former telecom minister A Raja has been acquitted in the so-called 2G scam by a CBI judge who has shown a remarkable, indeed monumental, judicial rectitude in the face of the entrenched perceptions about the wrongdoing in the spectrum allocation.

Why not ‘impeach’ Vinod Rai?...

Illustration: Sandeep Joshi



Harish Khare

Former telecom minister A Raja has been acquitted in the so-called 2G scam by a CBI judge who has shown a remarkable, indeed monumental, judicial rectitude in the face of the entrenched perceptions about the wrongdoing in the spectrum allocation.

I have always maintained that the 2G allocation became a “scam” because a full-fledged war had broken out among the corporate thieves; and, the “losers” in this war started a “halla bol” on the Manmohan Singh government.

These corporate quarters were the first to start the rumours of a “policy paralysis”; and then, whispers of “massive corruption” became a self-evident truth when Vinod Rai, the then Comptroller and Auditor-General, came up with that fabulous concoction called “notional loss” to the national exchequer to the tune of 1.73 billion rupees. 

The corporate India bank-rolled the “Anna Hazare” movement; large chunks of the media establishments bought into the “corruption” narrative because they had sensed middle class aspirations for an ethically sustainable political system. 

The corporates, as also the political rivals, took advantage of the internal divisions within the UPA-II. While the Congress paid the price for its political incompetence, the nation also suffered an enormous loss in terms of prestige and reputation as a bad place to do business. Because of those clamorous protests, the global business community developed a trust deficit about India’s economic ecosystem. The BJP could reap electoral dividends by harping on “humungous black money”, but even after more than three years of being in power, it has not been able to restore India’s tarnished image. 

How Vinod Rai got appointed as CAG is a story that has not yet been told. It was one of the few occasions when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was very poorly served by his PMO. This singularly disastrous appointment was the Manmohan Singh government’s undoing.

Because of Vinod Rai’s misconceived calculations, A Raja had to spend 16 months in jail. Since we do not have any provision for an impeachment, is there, now, a case for forcing Vinod Rai to spend an equal amount of time doing some kind of penance?

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A few days ago, I was able to visit the special exhibition in Delhi on Indira Gandhi, put up by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust to mark the centenary of her birth. I had thought I would be one of the handful of visitors lingering around; instead, the place was bustling with crowds of young and old, all busy, animatedly drawing attention to this or that item of the exhibition. 

It is not fashionable these days to speak favourably of Indira Gandhi and her family, with many of us internalising the new rhetoric of ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ (India without Congress). This is what is called the new normal. Maybe. 

Anyone who rules a difficult country like India as Indira Gandhi did during the years of transition is bound to have left behind a mixed record and a troubled legacy. Indira Gandhi’s long prime-ministerial innings are not without their blemishes, but then, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

Notwithstanding the current officially-inspired anti-‘dynasty’ talk, a visitor to this centenary exhibition cannot help admiring the family’s central place in the story of modern India. Nor can the visitor remain unmoved at the sight of the blood-stained sari Indira Gandhi was wearing at the time of her assassination. And then, there is a replica of the clothes Rajiv Gandhi was dressed in at the time of his assassination. A rare and unparalleled example in modern history of the same family paying twice with its blood for serving the nation.

The exhibition also gives a peep into how this thoroughly prosperous family of a hugely successful barrister, Motilal Nehru, moved out of its comfort zone to become ‘Indianised.’ Jawaharlal Nehru’s transition from an aristocrat to a nationalist and a patriot was most absolute. Modern day sarkari historians may try to airbrush Nehru out of India’s modern narrative, but there can be no doubt that the 11 long years Nehru variously spent in British jails consecrated his leadership of the nationalist movement.

The Indira — A Life of Courage exhibition brings alive Indira Gandhi’s contribution to the consolidation of India as a modern state. Indira Gandhi at the inauguration of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (1967), at Bokaro Steel Plant (1972) and at Bombay Offshore Drilling (1975) are some of the snapshots that capture the story of India’s industrial growth. And then, there are those iconic images from the 1971 war and the first nuclear test in 1974. 

A sobering experience. 

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Chandigarh and Le Corbusier will continue to fascinate and excite the future generation of architects and planners, just as the present crop wants to keep intact the mystique of the city and the allure of its builder. That is what a master is all about: always challenging, prodding and even infuriating the disciples and the critics.

Le Corbusier was a master. No doubt about it. A kind of cult has effortlessly and naturally developed about him. 

Rajnish Wattas, one of the most sensitive souls in Chandigarh, has done his bit to add to this Le Corbusier aura. He has joined forces with Deepika Gandhi to edit and produce a very handsome coffee-table book, Le Corbusier Rediscovered — Chandigarh and Beyond. 

But it is much more than a coffee-table book. It is meant to be read — and it does make a rewarding read. 

It is about an architect by other architects. That makes it a fascinating affair. And, the reason is simple.

With the possible exception of poets and painters, the architects make the most creative — as also, a cantankerous — community. And, a good architect is not just creative in the sense of being technically sound or just being good with his drawings but also his creativity is pretty much anchored in an understanding of the social context, cultural values and economic prejudices.

And, Le Corbusier was a very evolved personality. As PL Verma puts it, he “lived a serious life, unfettered by the superficial pleasures of present-day society.” That is why, perhaps, he could conceive “a new civilization, with a new architecture, new idioms of space and building relationships, all integrated with nature.”

Le Corbusier was not a plasticky professional; he was a personality and a profoundly individualistic character. That is why he could think differently in a fundamental sense. As BV Doshi points out, he had made a ‘Pact with Nature’: “Perhaps, the large plain at the Shivalik foothills was such a sacred site, that the hills, though far away, would yet provide wiser counsel, eternity and reverence for the citizens of the city from everyday political intrigue.” 

Touche’!

This Wattas-Gandhi collection has reflections by some of the finest practitioners and teachers on the philosophy and practices of architecture.

It is gratifying, for instance, to read Raj Rewal talk insightfully of the 1991 economic liberalisation and its mostly deleterious effects on the planning for cities and towns: “Private capital chooses to build environments that are insulated from their context, without the burdens of facilitating citizenship or place-making necessary in a real city.”

And then, there is a captivating essay by Rahul Mehrotra, provocatively meditating on the “impatient capital” and its imperious demands on the architect, who is called upon to readjust his aesthetics and manners, by way of homage to the nouveau riche’s new prosperity. The results are a mindless and disastrous aping of Dubai or Shanghai or Singapore. 

This collection brings together some of the finest practitioners of the craft who are uncharacteristically generous in acknowledging Le Corbusier’s genius. But again, that is a master for you. 

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Last Thursday morning, at seven, I started the drive back from Delhi for Chandigarh. Just after we crossed into Haryana, a massive, blinding fog engulfed us. And it became a nightmare of a journey. The visibility was extreme low; no road-signs could be seen; the traffic was, thankfully, moving cautiously, yet we came across at least four serious accidents in the next three hours. 

It was a strange drive. Except for the assurance of being on a familiar road, a sense of exactness was missing. An SUV affords the advantage of higher seats and better visibility; and then, my young driver also had the advantage of keen eyes and sharper reflexes.

It was after four hours of a tense ride that we could make a pit stop at a dhaba. By then, fog was dispelling and the visibility had somewhat restored.

And, I had never thought that I would find a glass of tea that satisfying as I did that morning. This week, then, instead of coffee, do join me for tea.  

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