These are disheartening times we live in. Just a few days after leading Congress figures Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had to appear in a trial court in the context of allegations of corruption levelled by a BJP leader, finance minister Arun Jaitley has come under fire from the AAP on grounds of corruption and in self-defence has moved court against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his colleagues. Whether this rush to the judiciary arises from a sense of heightened political competition as between parties, or there are too many cussed individuals around eager to pull down political rivals by seeking to besmirch their reputations by lodging court cases, the level of public discourse has plummeted. This cannot be wholly unexpected, considering the extent of corruption that is eating into the vitals of our system, with much of it starting with top-tier politicians.
Even so, the bandying about of serious allegations is becoming disturbingly common. This can hardly be said to be salutary for a democracy in the developing world, for public faith in parties and leaders is undermined, and the cynical view takes hold that politicians and parties are untrustworthy and that we may be better off under a dictatorship that means well. Such a notion needs to be dispelled. There are enough examples in our neighbourhood — and elsewhere — that a dictatorship means a suppression of people’s will and that it does not lead to better governance.
The allegations against Mr Jaitley have fundamentally come from within the BJP, through Kirti Azad, a party MP. In this respect his case is different from the National Herald case involving the Gandhis. The suspicion created by Mr Azad has only been seized upon by AAP leaders, and now the Congress has demanded the resignation of the minister. Mr Jaitley’s defence is that alleged financial irregularities in DDCA — the Delhi cricket body — when he headed it for 13 years have been examined by the Serious Frauds Office during the UPA tenure, and that nothing was found against him. Indeed, Mr Jaitley doesn’t fit anyone’s idea of a typically corrupt politician.
Even so, filing defamation cases against AAP leaders may not be the remedy that he may be looking for. The AAP government has constituted a commission of inquiry to specifically probe the present Union finance minister’s role in alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA. Cooperating with this inquiry can only enhance Mr Jaitley’s reputation. Perceptions are important in a democratic set-up. Riding with the finance minister’s reputation is that of his party since he is such an important part of it.
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