In war we hear about what is commonly known as “scorched earth policy”. A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from the area.
In ancient times it was also known as burning crops so that the advancing army may not have the benefit of feeding the army that is set to march on its belly as it were. In the present day, this scorched earth policy includes destroying telecommunication, roads, bridges, transportation and industrial sources.
You may wonder why I am ruminating on something like this when our country is not at war with Pakistan, the only country with which we often dare to wage war or indulge in war - mongering, whenever that rogue State taunts India with a Kargil or frequent border crossing and skirmishes.
The reason is the coup executed by the Congress - led UPA Government in getting the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi’ s name dropped from the Interpol’s wanted list, the lifting of red corner notice against Quattrocchi, the man who made away with a neat pile of $ 7.3 million as illegal commission when India bought Bofors guns for our army. This amount was his share of the total bribe of $ 36.5 million shared by others also. Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister then.
In Oct.1999, two years after Swedish radio broadcast that Bofors paid kickback to top Indian politicians and defence officials, the CBI charge - sheet named ex - Bofors' agent Win Chadha, Ottavio Quattrocchi, Rajiv Gandhi and others. Since Win Chadha and Rajiv Gandhi are no more, their names were not in the enquiry list. However, the name of Ottavio Quattrocchi has been in the Interpol’s wanted list at the behest of the CBI and one thought the Indian Government would pursue the matter to its logical end in getting back the stolen money from Quattrocchi. [See “Musings on challenges facing our netas: Terrorism and black money”]. I had said at one point, “But, when UPA headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh came to power in 2004 he "quietly unlocked Quattrocchi’s accounts" and the Italian "knocked off the commission" according to Surya Prakash writing in "The New Indian Express".
The Opposition (NDA) must have anticipated the next move on Quattrocchi by the UPA Government then itself and should have taken pre - emptive steps either by moving a petition before the Supreme Court or by creating awareness of this seemingly fraudulent act among the citizens of this country. Apparently, the Opposition has failed in its responsibility and the one party which is always belligerent and alert in matters such as this, the Communist Party of India (CPI), was unfortunately an alliance partner of the UPA. It kept its mouth shut only to open when UPA signed the controversial Nuclear Deal.
What is intriguing is the timing of the decision taken by the CBI (naturally at the behest of the UPA Government) to drop the name of Quattrocchi, the only surviving suspect in the Bofors pay-off case, from the Interpol’s wanted list. The Parliamentary elections are already underway with the last two phases remaining to be held on May 7 and 13 and in the next 11 days (counting is on May16) the fate of the UPA, or for that matter the Congress, will be known. Apparently, Congress fears that if it loses this election it would be difficult to save Quattrocchi whose name is already in the Interpol’s wanted list, as the new successor Government might pursue the case. I have my doubts, though!
It is indeed unfortunate that Congress party, which was baptized by many a noble souls, amongst whom Mahatma Gandhi’s name is at the top, should sink so low and indulge in this kind of slanderous act bereft of political morality, despite the whole country and its intelligentsia crying foul.
It also betrays the trait of cold, calculated, arrogance of Congress party in bulldozing its way in matters such as this as also the 1984 massacre of Sikhs, in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
I am referring to the unabashed manner in which Congress went ahead in giving the tickets to Jagadish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar to contest the ongoing Parliamentary elections. CBI, like it has now absolved Quattrocchi, also absolved Jagadish Tytler from the stigma of Sikh massacre provoking mass protest by Sikhs in Delhi. But these protests did not move the Congress which justified giving Parliamentary ticket to these two persons with sullied reputation. It was only the "shoe - throwing" by a Sikh journalist to our Home Minister that finally forced Congress to withdraw the ticket.
During Rajiv Gandhi’s period, this trait of arrogance and unilateralism was very conspicuous. As a result, country’s Constitutional institutions suffered as in handling the case of Shah Bano and Salman Rushdie’s book. There are other examples too. The Congress managed to carry on with the facade of innocence and righteousness with Rajiv Gandhi being hailed by the media as Mr. Clean. Only till the Bofors scandal broke and his image of Mr. Clean got smeared with black.
Recently, I was reading about the arrogance of Congress party, which means the arrogance of its top leadership called High Command that led to the birth of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) under the leadership of N. T. Rama Rao, the veteran Telugu superstar. He came to power on only one issue, the Telugu pride, the swabhimana of the good people of Andhra Pradesh. Thus, in 1982, the TDP was born. It was a blunder committed by an arrogant Rajiv Gandhi, just an MP then that helped NTR. Rajiv was expected to arrive in Hyderabad on a tour of Andhra Pradesh. Many top leaders of Andhra Pradesh, including Chief Minister T. Anjaiah, were waiting at the Airport for Rajiv Gandhi for hours. But after alighting from the aircraft, Rajiv Gandhi did not show the courtesy of even wishing the State Chief Minister and went away with his cronies ignoring his very presence.
Taking this incident as an insult to the pride of Telugu speaking people, NTR successfully exploited the "pride of Andhra people" during the election campaign, wiped out the Congress and became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in Jan.1983. Is history repeating itself? May be, who can know the hand of Providence? The Left Parties, who were once alliance members of the UPA, have left the company. There are not many among the Regional Parties who are interested in shaking hands with the Congress.
With such a nebulous political future staring at the Congress, the Party seems to have behaved the same way as did Indira Gandhi during 1975 and Rajiv Gandhi during 1982 and thereafter. Indeed history is repeating itself, if we go by what the Congress-led UPA Government has done to the people of India in the matter of Quattrocchi and Jagadish Tytler. What impact this and other decisions taken by the Congress will have on the poll results, time alone can tell. But we must admire the audacity and arrogance of Congress even at the time of election.
Moral:
You should not hope to catch a Quattrocchi shark with angler's hook. You need to use a harpoon.
