Thank you dear subscribers, we are overwhelmed with your response.
During the last couple of years, with the regularity of clockwork, one reads about search
and seizure operations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), popularly
referred to in the media as “raids.” These operations make it to the headlines, or to the
national TV news channels, only when the targeted person is a politician, especially if
associated with the opposition parties. Now, CBI is no longer the premier anti-
corruption agency. It is the ED. Without the hassle of the procedural safeguards of the
Prevention of Corruption Act, ED targets the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, not to
speak of assorted business persons. Undoubtedly, every corrupt Neta, or Babu or Lala
must eventually launder the money. So, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is a
better exit gate to keep watch on for catching the launderers.
The heaps of money casually dumped in the corner of the room like so much garbage is
a shocking sight for a common man. Of course, in every case it is not just the money. It is
also the benami properties, trail of money which was collected, diverted, and spent.
Whenever a politician is subjected to search and seizure, there is an immediate outcry
that the action smacks of political vendetta. The IT department, CBI and ED are misused
by the Central Government to target only the opposition leaders; those who join BJP go
through ganga snan or washing machine, and are absolved of all their sins. Almost
without exception, after every ED operation, there are sharp exchanges between the BJP
leaders and the opposition leaders through social media and in TV channels.
In one of the many interviews given to different TV Channels, the Prime Minister has
defended this action as not really targeting the politicians. According to him, the
politicians constitute only 3% of the total cases booked by ED. Presumably, the rest of
the 97% cases are booked against bureaucrats, and mainly business persons. Of course,
none of these 97% of the targeted persons have claimed that they have been victimised
by the Central Government, or by BJP. It is only the politicians, their kin and associates
who have this privilege of claiming victimhood.
It is possible that many of the targeted persons may have a valid explanation for the
money found with them, or the assets they possess, although the cynic in me doubts it.
But this is a fair presumption, following the principle of criminal jurisprudence that a
person is innocent until proven guilty. But surely, a person who is actually innocent,
knowing that he has not committed any wrong, would be expected to protest and
proclaim that he is indeed innocent and the raids are intended to harass him.
As a common man far removed from politics, I find it odd that not a single politician
who has been raided by ED has claimed that he is innocent. I can readily think of two
ministers from Tamil Nadu, two ministers from Bengal, one minister from Delhi, an RS MP, and two chief ministers, recently another minister from Jharkhand, who are now
receiving the benevolent attention of the ED under the PML Act. There have been loud
protestations that BJP is misusing the agencies, or that there is an undeclared
emergency, or that once a politician joins BJP he is absolved of all offences.
There is also the bravado that he will emerge out of this case smelling like fresh rose.
But not a single politician who is under investigation by the ED has claimed that he is
innocent. I find this significant. It is a case of, to borrow Shakespear “Me thinks that the
lady doth protest too much!” The politicians caught with what seems like ex facie
incriminating evidence make all kinds of protestations, except the most obvious claim:
that of innocence.
It also leaves the question abegging: “Why are some of the politicians caught by ED still
in jail?” Conducting the raid is in the hands of ED, perhaps under the influence of BJP.
But why are the courts not granting bail to these politicians, even though the general
rule is “bail, not jail?”. Evidently, the trial courts, or even the High Courts must have
found that the case against these corrupt leaders is not entirely hollow.
Most of our politicians are boors; be they semi-educated, or educated. They come out on
bail and celebrate as though they have been acquitted honourably. It is disgusting. They
take the public for fools. They cannot fool all the people all the time.