Just the other day I saw my brother's picture. Nothing unusual, but suddenly I felt like I am looking at myself in a mirror! Now that is strange because my brother does not look like me. He is way smarter, much taller, fairer, years younger,has different hairline and a different jawline with an immensely better fashion sense. I am afraid we are as different as it could be in other aspects as well. Personal habits; F&B choices; education; profession ; you name it, nothing matches. Even our names do not rhyme. Life has dealt us different set of cards to boot. Yet it is uncanny how I can see myself in him!
Science has an easy answer, DNA ! Without getting too technical; Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)is a molecule that contains the biological instructions that make each species unique. DNA, along with the instructions it contains, is passed from adult organisms to their offspring. Simply speaking we have the same set of parents and thus similar DNA. We also grew up in the same household and have learned same lessons that make us similar even when we are different.
So why am I telling you this today? Well The reason is Suresh Kalmadi ! Yeah! The same disgraced out on bail politician who embezzled millions from the Commonwealth Games kitty and has been a state guest at Delhi's Tihar jail for 10 months. More than 50 cases amounting to INR 700 crore are still pending trial.
I was reminded of him because of another political luminary, Anil Deshmukh;the home minister of Maharashtra who was recently charged(not yet proven) by his own hand picked police chief with shaking down INR100 Crore every month from Mumbai restaurant and bars. Deshmukh is treating this charge as flippantly and nonchalantly as Kalmadi did before he was sent to Tihar; became the poster boy of Congress corruption and decimated his own UPA government.
Kalmadi of course belongs to congress and Deshmukh is from NCP of Sharad pawar. This 'defence attorney' for Deshmukh is an erstwhile congress stalwart who missed becoming the prime minister by a whisker.
Let us go east for a little bit. Calcutta to be exact and Mamta Banerjee. She has her own party now but she earned her political chops in the congress. Where she was a cabinet ranked minister in the centre, no less. Does it come as a surprise that during her reign in the state of west Bengal several scams like coal scam have come to the fore. In the most brazen misuse of power, an organized grass roots extortion racket called 'tolabaazi' has been institutionalized ? This racket shakes down every body, period! You need a birth certificate- pay them; you need a death certificate- pay them; you need to paint your house- pay them and hire their chosen contractor... or else! O.K. you get the picture!
Lets stay east and look at a congress associate for a change - Lalu yadav! I know you are immediately reminded of the fodder scam. INR 4.5 billion corruption case for which he is behind bars. His wife and all of his children are facing multiple corruption cases too. I can go on and give more examples from all corners of the country but just listing all of them will need a 800 page report... and I am no kejriwal to wave blank papers at you!
What in the blazes is wrong with these guys? Actually the question is what is common among all of these corrupts? Simple answer is DNA - congress DNA! They all received their diploma in politics and models of governance from the University of Congress, 24 Akbar road, New Delhi 110001. A lot of them taught there too!
Congress got India on a platter! There was no political challenge to its power for a very long time. As some opposition started forming Congress realized it can easily hold on to its power by doling out different sops to different groups. Which they did irrespective of costs to the exchequer or any smidgen of actual benefit accruing to the intended group. As long as they continued voting them in. It perfected minority appeasement to create voting blocks. It mainstreamed granting of business licences and permits for massive cash considerations. It generated astronomical election funds by shaking down industry, land developers and government contractors. It invented the concept of "first family" of politics. Nothing was taboo if it strengthened their power base. Worst cut of all was that Congress criminally made all of these corrupt practices look like the standard operating procedure of governance. They never ever paused to consider how perpetuating this massive scale corruption at the top will corrode the very foundations of the society. Now that you see a similar pattern echoing across the entire political spectrum irrespective of the current party affiliations, you should also know who to thank!
This is where we are today. If the beat constable asks for an INR 100 bribe from a pavement bangle seller, consider the fact that the police station he is attached to got sold to the highest bidding Sub Inspector for millions. it did not go to the most deserving. He has to recover his costs and ROI; and same goes for the DSP he reports to ;and same for his boss and his boss's boss.... It keeps going up,up and getting bigger and bigger. Till all we end up with is Deshmukhs on our hand!
I am telling you, this Deoxyribonucleic Acid thing - it is revoltingly nauseous!
