2G, CVC, CWG... Govt's halls of shame

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The 21-month-old United Progressive Alliance (UPA) II government on Thursday plunged into crisis once again as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came under opposition fire after the Supreme Court struck down the appointment of P.J. Thomas as head of India's top corruption watchdog.

Over the last few months the government has faced many allegations like the 2G spectrum scam, alleged misappropriations in the Common Wealth Games, and now the SC's decision on the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), who was formerly the telecom secretary

Opposition leaders, led by BJP's L.K. Advani, lost no time in describing the verdict as a big blow to the government and putting the responsibility for Thomas' appointment on Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi.

"This is the biggest blow to Manmohan Singh ... and to Sonia Gandhi," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told the media.

Congress leaders went into a huddle to discuss their response with the prime minister coming under pressure to explain his action to appoint a "tainted" Thomas as central vigilance commissioner.

"Either the Prime Minister must say he was misled or he chose to mislead," said Arun Jaitley, BJP's leader of the opposition, in the Rajya Sabha.

With elections in four states and a union territory due in April-May, the indictment from the Supreme Court could not have come at a worse time for the government hoping for a political revival.

The 2G scam has already landed former communications minister A. Raja and several senior officials behind the bars and it is likely that a few more people will face the same future. At the time Thomas was appointed CVC, BJP had alleged that the appointment was an effort by the government to save the culprits in the 2G scam.

The latest in the CWG front is that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided the offices and residences of suspended Prasar Bharati chief executive officer (CEO) B.S. Lalli and Waseem Ahmed Dehlvi of Zoom Communications for their alleged involvement in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) broadcasting scam.

The government now finds itself in a tighter spot as the Prime Minister and Home Minister P. Chidambaram are under attack, political insiders point out.

Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram had okayed the appointment of Thomas, a Kerala cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer facing corruption charges, as the CVC in September while Sushma Swaraj, the third member and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, dissented.

After the initial shock and embarrassment, UPA II managers went into damage control mode as Manmohan Singh said he respected the judgment and would make a statement in parliament.

"The Prime Minister and the government has to put up a defence. Otherwise, it will affect the prospects of the UPA II in the coming assembly polls," a Congress leader told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

The opposition - the National Democratic Front and the Left parties - found another opportunity to corner the ruling alliance in the polls.

"As Home Minister, his (Chidambaram's) duty was to present the right facts but they concealed facts on the allegations against Thomas," BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.

"Even when (Sushma Swaraj) brought it to their notice that Thomas' name was involved in a corruption case, they ignored it," he said.

Toeing the same line, Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav said the step was a victory for the movement against corruption.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury added that the Prime Minister must explain the government's stance.

"The prime minister needs to answer in parliament how they went ahead despite all the facts known to everybody ... even the leader of opposition objected. They have to answer. He needs to explain," said Yechury.

(With inputs from CIOL bureau)