It has happened again. Team Anna has accused the
PM of being party to a corrupt practice. The practice, this time, is the
allocation of coal blocks. The allegations are based on loose strands from a
draft CAG report that is yet to be tabled in Parliament. The media have been
prompt to caveat the allegations vented in a dramatic presser with the
CAG's response to the leak of the draft. The CAG, for his part, has conceded
that the leaked portions of the draft could be 'misleading', tripping the
allegations before they could cross over into the dominion of validity. Last I
checked, the CBI is to probe the outflow of 'coalgate' – appending 'gate' to
every new item of sensation is getting rather lousy.
Be that as it may, irrespective of whether the
probe exculpates the PM and furbishes further the sheen of his probity in
public life or not, he has to be wary of having one of his cabinet colleagues
arraigned for graft. Remember the 2G scam? If the coal minister, too, is charged, the
PM's position will probably be reduced to that of a captain of cricket team,
some of whose members are indulging in spot-fixing and costing the team
victory, though the team, as a whole, is not top-down fixing matches. So, what
choices would such a skipper have?
Cricket teams are usually chosen by a selection
committee. When the captain's not on it, he is at the very least extended the
courtesy of being asked for his preferences, which may or may not be given their
due. Yet, the captain can try to keep out those accused of wrong doing, and
have the board investigate the accusations. Perhaps, the PM too has tried to
get 'his' team, keeping away the alleged 'spot fixers', and failed. Again, what
would the skipper do in such an instance?
Assuming the skipper, like our PM, is a man of unquestionable
integrity inclined to play the game at its purest, he would probably register
his protest with the committee, in the hope they will listen. As a last resort,
vital as he is to the team as our PM is to the cabinet, he may threaten to
offer his resignation, not wanting, but needing to be heard. The unblemished
one, after all, would not want to play a vitiated game. But, our PM has been
silent. What we do not know is whether he is being resilient and trying to get
his team to tread his path, or resolute and just securing his position. That
brings into question his captaincy.
His unwillingness to speak to the country, and his
inability to get his way – due to 'coalition dharma' – makes him seem like a
twelfth man who is standing in the captain's stead because the team won the
toss, but decided to field first. So, the media conference is ruled out. And whilst
the actual skipper waits his turn to bat, the twelfth man is on the field,
passing on his own strategies and the coach's advice to the team.
Unfortunately, though, while he can plan a batsman's dismissal – a nick to the
wicket keeper off an out-swinger – he can do little to make it happen. Remember,
the twelfth man can neither keep wickets nor bowl!
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