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International columnist, political analyst and senior journalist Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui’s articles are published across Asia, Africa and Europe. He writes for The Moroccan Times, The Tunis Times, India Tomorrow, Kohram News, The Etemaad Urdu Daily and for news papers published from Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. You can follow him on Twitter at: @journopolana[/symple_box]
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman—India is a great democracy with a population of more than 1.21 billion. There has been a perception that women are less susceptible to corruption and unfair practices. This myth has been broken by India’s ruling party – Bharatiya Janata Party’ s (BJP) top female leaders — Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Vasundhara Raje and Pankaja Munde.
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What message will it send to the Indian youth, if the Education Minister herself holds a fake degree? [/symple_box]
Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj allegedly favoured issuing of travel documents to Lalit Modi, a fugitive based in the United Kingdom whose Indian passport was revoked by the previous government in New Delhi. Lalit Modi is a former cricket administrator – ex-chairman of the Indian Premier League, who is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for violation of foreign currency rules in India. Sushma was leader of the opposition in the last Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) when she recommended Lalit Modi’s case. She had recommended issuing of travel documents to Lalit Modi on ‘humanitarian grounds.’ This issue came to light this month and questions are being raised about Sushma’s integrity for helping out the fugitive Lalit Modi who is wanted by the Indian authorities. The Congress party has demanded the resignation of Sushma but the ruling BJP and Sushma’s ministerial colleagues have rejected the demand saying that Sushma has done no wrong but helped the fugitive only on humanitarian grounds as his wife was fighting Cancer. The Lalit Modi controversy is dubbed by the Indian media as ‘Lalitgate’ on the lines of former US President Ronald Reagon’s Irangate scandal.
Smriti Irani is the Indian Human Resources Development Minister (HRD). She has the dubious record of mentioning different qualifications in affidavits filed with the Election Commission of India during the three elections that she contested. Smriti holds the portfolio of Education as part of the HRD Ministry. She is being accused of faking her degrees and a court has ordered that the case be investigated and the evidence collected to be placed before it in the court hearing slated for next month. Smriti Irani had contested the last elections to Lok Sabha against the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi from the Amethi Parliamentary seat but lost miserably. Indian Prime Minister did not hesitate to include the defeated Smriti in his cabinet. What message will it send to the Indian youth, if the Education Minister herself holds a fake degree?
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There will be lot of political churning in the days to come. Hopefully, Indian democracy comes out strong and clean. [/symple_box]
Vasundhara Raje is the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh – a north Indian state. She allegedly recommended to the British authorities about issuing of travel documents to Lalit Modi with the rider that ‘Indian officials need not be informed about her recommendation.’ Raje wanted to keep the country in the dark about her dealings. Raje also belongs to the BJP. She has rejected calls for her resignation. The BJP finds itself in a tight spot and is not defending her as it is defending the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. Raje’s husband and daughter are lawyers of Lalit Modi and Raje’s son has business links with Lalit Modi. All these have compounded Raje’s problems. Lalit Modi has invested in Raje’s son’s companies. It is proving to be a losing deal for Raje.
Pankaja Munde is the Minister for Women and Child Welfare in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. She belongs to the ruling BJP. She allegedly cleared files for works amounting to Indian Rupees 206 crores in a single day! (1 US $ = 63 Indian rupees). Nick named the ‘Chikki girl’ after the sticky sweet candy made of peanut, Pankaja is on a sticky political wicket after alleged wrong doings in procuring chikki for school children. She has claimed that she has done no wrong and she will not resign from her post. Sachin Swant, a Congress leader who exposed the scam is getting death threats allegedly from Pankaja’s supporters. He lodged a complaint with the Mumbai city police.
In the midst of so many controversies of wrong doings by the female brigade of the BJP, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is maintaining a ‘deafening silence’ on all the issues mentioned above. Though, Modi addressed the nation on Radio yesterday in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ – Talk of the Heart’ programme yesterday, he did not mention his stand on the issues of corruption and wrong doings by his ministers.
What comes out clearly is that the tainted female ministers and party colleagues of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are proving to be femme fatale for him and causing a lot of political distress and loss of face for the man who claims to have a ’56-inch chest.’ ‘
Despite being women’ they have caused a lot of political trouble to Narendra Modi. ‘Despite being women’ is a phrase borrowed from the Prime Minister Modi. Will Modi dare to set his house in order? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely – whether for males or females.
Shrinking family values and societal values has spiked corruption cases in different countries and India is no exception. The common man on the street has no one to look up to. Gone are the days of statesmen and clean politics. The idea is not to serve the nation but oneself in the political opportunity that one gets. Indian democracy is being tested by the femme fatale of the ruling BJP. There will be lot of political churning in the days to come. Hopefully, Indian democracy comes out strong and clean.
[symple_box]Please Note that the views expressed in all opinions on The Moroccan Times are the authors’s own and do not reflect The Moroccan Times editorial policy.[/symple_box]
