DMK on Backfoot as GenZ Gets to Learn About ‘Scientific Corruption’
A political observer here noted that those who entering their fifties now were not even born when the Sarkaria Commission report rocked Tamil Nadu politics that probed the alleged corruption, malpractices and misuse of power during the DMK rule between 1971 and 1976 led by the then chief minister M Karunanidhi
Ooty: As Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s firebrand speech on Sarkaria Commission report and digging up the past malpractices has triggered interest to revisit the alleged ‘scientific corruption’ under the DMK rule five decades ago, political analysts here in the hills feel that this spurs a renewed interest among the present generation to get an insight into corruption and related malpractices in DMK rule five decades ago, as this will become the political talk in future, which may further dent DMK’s reputation.
Political analysts said that like cricket icon Dhoni keeping his cool in odd situations and speaking through his bat often in the climax stages of a game, Vijay, a celebrated silver screen icon and hero who in his films would often keep his cool and take struggles into his own-self and decimate the offenders in the climax, exhibited that style by delivering a firebrand speech in the climax session of the Assembly in the last two sessions that not only rocked the Opposition, especially the DMK, but also made the present generation and GenZ show an extra bit of interest to learn more about the corruption that is alleged to have been practised during the DMK regime in the early 1970s.
A political observer here noted that those who entering their fifties now were not even born when the Sarkaria Commission report rocked Tamil Nadu politics that probed the alleged corruption, malpractices and misuse of power during the DMK rule between 1971 and 1976 led by the then chief minister M Karunanidhi.
The commission was set up by the then Congress government in the Centre, led by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The report, submitted to the Union government in March 1977, concluded that charges of corruption and misuse of official status were established against the then chief minister and some DMK ministers in relation to specific allegations.
The report also highlighted irregularities and kickback allegations regarding the tender awarded to a concern for manufacturing pipes for the Veeranam water project. The commission stated that evidence for several established charges was cogent, convincing and reliable.
It was reported then that the commission probed 28 charges of corruption and misuse of power by the DMK government between 1971 and 1976, while some charges were subsequently reported as substantiated that led to the new nomenclature ‘scientific corruption’.
All these were widely reported in the media then, a political observer here pointed out.
“While it was widely expected that further action on this report would lead to action against those who indulged in corruption, and misuse of power during the DMK rule between 1971 and 1976, in very surreal manner, as often would happen in Indian politics, the DMK joined hands with the Indira Gandhi-led Congress party for the 1980 Lok Sabha mid-term polls, when Indira Gandhi was making efforts for a comeback after losing the 1977 LS polls, that eventually saw the commission’s report lose its sting. In political circles, it was widely spoken then that the DMK demanded a promise from the Congress on ‘no-action’ on the Sarkaria Commission report for political realignment and thus cleverly managed to escape from its aftermath. As Chief Minister Vijay has raked it up now, it is up to the present DMK leadership to defend the party against the 5-decade-old corruption charges, though it is old but is made relevant now,” a political observer here noted.
