Can 2G ‘scam’ architects BJP & ADMK speak with authority now?

The mother of all scams was that you were fooled in to thinking there was a scam where none existed. 

There were 17 persons accused in the 2G case instituted by the Central Bureau of Investigation and 19 persons in the case instituted by the Directorate of Enforcement. The Special Court which held day-to-day trial of all the cases held everyone to have been acquitted of all charges, explained in the judgments running into 1552 pages and 105 pages, respectively. 

For the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the 2G case has been another in the list of unproven allegations. When MG Ramachandran walked out of the DMK in 1972, he levelled allegations of corruption and mishandling of party funds. Yet, nothing was proved on these allegations. In 2001, Jayalalitha, soon after being sworn in as Chief Minister, ordered the midnight arrest of M Karunanidhi on the charges of allegations in the construction of flyovers. So weak was the case, it was not even filed before the court. 

In 2011, the 2G case was filed before the Special Court in Patiala House Courts and members of the DMK stood accused. In 2017, all of them have been acquitted. Along with this, the DMK party stands exonerated; exonerated of insinuations, innuendo, allegations and accusations. Can the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) – chief architects of the scam – speak with similar moral authority? Have not Bangaru Laxman and J Jayalalithaa been convicted by courts of law on charges of corruption? 

The truth is that politics is the battle of perception. A perception of pervasive corruption was created by our political rivals. With that, there was a tendency to exaggerate, scandalise and sensationalise. When the Comptroller and Auditor General report was leaked in November 2010, then Minister A Raja came forward to step down from the Council of Ministers, in order to facilitate a fair probe. The entire case was monitored by the Supreme Court, including the chargesheet filed and the appointment of the Special Public Prosecutor. Regular updates and progress reports were periodically filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Enforcement and Income Tax Department before the Supreme Court. There has been more media interest and coverage of this case than any other. To understand the significance of the acquittal, the judgment must be seen against the backdrop of the most stringent media, executive and judicial scrutiny. 

Political discourse needs to change. It needs to evolve. BJP, ADMK kept calling this a scam when the case was still in trial. Today, the shoe is on the other foot. We, as responsible opposition parties, need to set a higher standard than the BJP or ADMK. Politicians need to realize that they are hurling allegations and maligning reputations of people with families and lives. Take Kanimozhi: her son was 11 years old when she the case started, she had to be in Delhi for day-to-day trial over the last 7 years. Who will give back her the time she lost in the process? What about the imprisonment she, and others, had to undergo? 

When DMK President Karunanidhi was arrested on a fateful night in 2001, he was taken before the Magistrate at the early hours of the morning. A journalist from Tamil magazine Nakeeran, who was present at the residence of the Magistrate, passed him a piece of white paper and asked if there was something he wanted to tell the people of the state. Karunanidhi scribbled the following words: “Aneethi veezhum, Aram vellum.” translated as “Injustice will fall. Dharma shall prevail”. The words have rung true, time and again. 

Manuraj Shunmugasundaram

Spokesperson, DMK

Advocate, Madras High Court 

Link to the Article : https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/2g-bjp-admk-kanimozhi-a-raja-4995301/