The Big Story: Coming clean

On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi made a rather bold claim. Speaking to journalists, the vice-president of the Congress party alleged that he had proof of personal corruption by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said he would make these revelations on the floor of Parliament. “If I speak, there will be an earthquake,” warned Gandhi.

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party has dismissed the allegations, it has also made sure to block proceeding in Parliament for the past couple of days – a highly unusual move for a ruling party.

Even as Gandhi has desisted from explaining what exactly he meant by his cryptic statement, the episode is a reminder of how intertwined politics and big-ticket corruption is in India. Under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, allegations of telecom companies colluding with the government in the 2G scam shook politics but resulted in few criminal convictions. The 2016 Essar tapes scandal suggested that politicians, judges, bureaucrats were being influenced by a large corporation.

There are also allegations of Narendra Modi being paid off by large corporations. In 2013, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal disclosed the contents of a document that had been seized during a raid by the income tax department on the premises of the Aditya V Birla Group of companies. The document contains an entry that states, “Gujarat CM – 25 cr (12 done - rest?).” And it wasn’t only the “Gujarat CM”. The documents seized contain indications that politicians across the spectrum were being bribed.

Modi came to power promising to eradicate crony capitalism and the corruption it engenders. His demonetisation decision was ostensibly a leap towards reaching this goal. If Rahul Gandhi is to retain his credibility and that of his party, he owes it to India to lay any evidence to the contrary on the table.

The Big Scroll

Rahul Gandhi’s claim of proof of Modi corruption has some in his party rattled, Opposition sceptical, writes Anita Katyal.

Political Picks

  1. A day after renewing the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act license of non-governmental organisation run by activist Teesta Setalvad, the Union Home Ministry cancelled it.
  2. The Haryana state government has ordered its employees to go cashless at least once – and send in proof.
  3. After the death of two Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives in an encounter on Friday, thousands marched on the streets and attended the funeral of Majid Zargar, the outfit’s face in South Kashmir. In Kashmir, the funerals of dead militants keep on drawing huge crowds.
  4. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice over corruption allegations against Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.
  5. With 50,000 participants, another silent Maratha morcha kicks off in Nagpur

Punditry

  1. In the Indian Express, George Mathew explains how demonetisation has led to a sharp fall in bank credit growth.
  2. In the Harvard Business Review, Bhaskar Chakravorti argues that demonetisation is a botched war on cash.
  3. There is more than one truth to tell in the awful story of Aleppo as Syrian rebels – supported by the West and Saudi Arabia – lost the city to Bashar al-Assad’s army, writes Robert Fisk in the Independent.

Giggle

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Shops burnt in Kupwara: Five months on, Kashmir is still in the grip of hartal, report Ipsita Chakravarty and Rayan Naqash

“Nobody quite knows how the blaze started. Some of the town’s people say it was an accident. In Srinagar, Yasin Malik and Hurriyat spokesperson Shahid ul-Islam blamed it on the dry weather. But the traders who lost their shops in the fire are sure it was no accident. ‘There is no question of a short circuit,’ said Ahmed. ‘It [the building] was set on fire, that is confirmed.’ The police have filed a first information report in the case but the traders complained that no investigation is being conducted.

As for the group calling itself the Save Kashmir Movement, both the traders and Hurriyat leaders have no idea about its identity. A cursory internet search throws up information about a small militant group formed in 2002 and responsible for a series of assassinations, but there is no telling whether this is the same organisation.”