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The Congress Starr

One has heard of the devil quoting the scriptures. It is so with the 113-year-old Congress, which formed an ethics committee to cleanse out evils such as corruption, nepotism and criminality.

On second thought, what is the Congress without these traits? Over the years it has become synonymous with all that is evil. In fact, politics in this country is evil. This includes the Communists, the saffron brigade et al.

When one hears that somebody is trying to clear up the mess, the news holds interest, like the fleeting interest all news generates. A K Antony, the ethics committee chairman, may find himself alone, as the Congress does not have many leaders who are above board. But it would be a good beginning if Antony pursues his mission with zeal and grit. Perhaps, the party could attract a sizeable chunk of the silent, suffering, miserable Indians who have been looking for a messiah.

But the trouble is that the Congress cannot live without power. And in its hasty pursuit of that, it has always put ethics on the backburner. The Mahatma always spoke of the messiah, and the need for the pure means. Today, however, for the Congress, it has been the end justifying the means. None other than a former prime minister and AICC president faces prosecution on various counts. That Antony was a Cabinet minister under the said prime minister, P V Narasimha Rao, tells its own tale.

As civil supplies minister, Antony had to quit following the sugar import scandal. One is not sure if Antony was quite innocent. People outside Antony's home state, Kerala, know little about his stewardship as state chief minister and president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.

While no case of personal corruption has been reported against Antony, none can deny that he has reduced himself to a faction leader whose vociferous followers are no saints. His opponents derisively call him St Antony. As chief minister, he sought to ensure the support of women by abolishing arrack in Kerala. It was a good move. The evil drink had ruined thousands of families. While abolishing arrack, he also enhanced duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor, to discourage drinking and increase revenue for the state.

The result was disastrous. Arrack now flows through the length and breadth of the little state. The main source is smuggling from Karnataka, where it is available in plenty. A host of illicit distilleries has also sprung up in the state. A good deal of Indian Made Foreign Liquor also comes in by illegal means, thus depriving the state of revenue.

A good number of liquor barons are staunch supporters of the Congress in Kerala. One of them is notorious for brewing illicit liquor and, thus, a great tax evader. Part of his ill-gotten wealth flows into the Congress coffers.

The late Veerendra Patil, who became Karnataka chief minister after the landslide victory of the Congress in the 1989 election, lost his job because he dared to take on a powerful liquor baron of the state.

Two former Congress chief ministers, S Bangarappa and Veerappa Moily, are facing prosecution in bribery cases. Moily's case has wider ramifications because it involves two former prime ministers, Narasimha Rao and Deve Gowda. And we have that Congress leader of Delhi, the one who burnt his lady in a tandoor. Then there is this case of a hapless tribal girl in Kerala's Idukki district, who was ravaged by countless men, including some top Congress leaders.

Unfortunately, we don't have a Kenneth Starr. Only Antony.

The country badly needs him and his party.

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