HOW GOVT TRIED TO SKIRT ISSUES

Cornered in the Admiral Bhagwat case, the government sought to wriggle out by setting up a committee of MPs to decide on whether to have a discussion or not. Two senior members of the Lok Sabha -- former prime minister Chandrashekhar, and Indrajit Gupta -- refused to head the panel.

For no less than five weeks since Admiral Bhagwat's dismissal, the government tried to skirt the host of issues raised by him. Newspapers were flooded with motivated leaks from ministerial sources accusing Admiral Bhagwat of defiance of civilian authority. The prime minister and his ministerial colleagues cited "security implications" to be the reason for avoiding a debate. Why did the government evade a direct answer to the charges leveled by the admiral and why was it so wary of a debate?

The charges levelled by the admiral are of a very grave nature. He has accused the defence minister George Fernandes of harbouring rebels and militants in his house; he has alleged that he had twice brought to the notice of the minister the nexus between arms dealers and some senior officers in naval headquarters, and how a junior office Vice Admiral Harinder Singh was teaming up with the defence secretary Ajit Kumar to oust him and, most serious of all, how he was trying to divide the navy on communal lines. These are not charges that ought to be dismissed lightly. The former chief of naval staff (CNS) also came out with the startling disclosure that while the prime minister informed the chiefs of the three wings of armed forces of the Pokharan tests on May 9, he specifically told them not to inform the defence minister, George Fernandes. According to the admiral, Mr Fernandes was informed about the tests only on May 11 forenoon.

Immediately after Admiral Bhagwat was sacked, Vice Admiral Harinder Singh was appointed deputy chief of naval staff. The admiral had alleged that Harinder Singh had links with certain arms dealers and had been obliged by certain arms producing companies. Certain adverse remarks pertaining to it were also made in Harinder Singh's confidential report. It is well known that the appointments committee of the cabinet recommended the name of Harinder Singh after expunging the adverse remarks against him by Admiral Bhagwat who had refused to have him as the deputy chief of naval staff. Not only were the adverse remarks expunged, a show cause notice issued to him in April was also waived on October 6, 1998. Despite regulations that the deputy chief of naval staff cannot be appointed without being recommended by the CNS, the government appointed Harinder Singh for the job.

Apart from his dubious connections with arms companies and dealers, the vice admiral had accused the CNS of being communally motivated, on the ground (!) that his wife happened to be a "half-Muslim." Harinder Singh had sought to alienate Sikh officers from other officers. He has also made serious charges with respect to the patriotism and nationalism of Muslim officers in the navy who hold inconsequential posts. This in itself would have attracted disciplinary action against Harinder Singh. But not under the BJP dispensation.

SERIOUS CHARGES AGAINST FERNANDES

The admiral has alleged that George Fernandes had established direct communication with Admiral Nanda (retd) who was agent for some arms manufacturers. The admiral has also made a shocking allegation that LTTE, Burmese and north-east rebels are operating from the house of the defence minister. Fernandes has never concealed his sympathy for Tibetan "independence" fighters. Now he is accused of acting against national interest itself. These are not charges to be dismissed lightly. Only a full-fledged JPC probe into the murky affair will satisfy the nation.

Ever since the installation of the Vajpayee government, the CPI(M) has been warning of its dangerous implications and the threats to national unity. It had warned that the communal forces will try to penetrate various apparatus and institutions of the state. Apart from the offensive launched by the communal outfits, backed by a pliant governmental machinery, against the minorities in various parts of the country, the BJP has sought to appoint personnel close to its ideology to head various institutions. This is especially so with regard to institutes of higher learning. Now, it is playing another dangerous game of trying to communalise the armed forces. The warning given by the CPI(M) has, unfortunately, come true.

GURUSWAMY'S ALLEGATIONS

The other issue that generated a lot of heat in the first fortnight of March was of the startling revelations made by Mohan Guruswamy, sacked advisor to the finance minister, Yashwant Sinha. Despite all denials, the fact remains that Guruswamy was chosen by same Sinha as his advisor. He was a political appointee, being associated with the BJP. Being in such a vantage position, Guruswamy was privy to various goings-on in the ministry and therefore his allegations cannot be dismissed straightaway. While Guruswamy says he had resigned on January 27, the finance minister maintains that he had not resigned but was sacked on February 3.

Whether he was sacked or resigned on his own, Guruswamy has made serious allegations that ought to be probed. He has also informed that the top two in the ministry, Vajpayee and L K Advani, do not go along well. Guruswamy has alleged that there is a coterie around the prime minister, headed by his "adopted" son-in-law, which meddles in the matters of governance. He has accused the prime minister of running a vicious cabal and lobbying for the Hindujas. He has accused Advani of lobbying for the ESSAR and Pramod Mahajan of backing the Mittals.

Guruswamy has alleged that at the instance of Advani, Yashwant Sinha bailed out the ESSAR by hiking the prices of imported hot rolled steel coils by 55 dollars, more than what was agreed at the inter-ministerial meeting, resulting in hefty gains to the steel producers. A higher base price was fixed, below which steel imports were not to be allowed freely. This, according to Guruswamy, gave away a sum of Rs 5000 crore. The ESSAR alone allegedly benefited to the tune of Rs 300 crore. Guruswamy alleges that the ESSAR chief Shashi Ruia was present in the meeting in the finance minister's chamber.

It is known that for some time now, BAT (British American Tobacco) company has been trying to gain control over the ITC Ltd. Guruswamy alleges that the UTI which has holdings in the ITC was advised to sell off its shares to the BAT. While BAT offered Rs 800 per share, Guruswamy suggested that these should be sold at Rs 2,500. He is on record that he submitted a note in this regard to the finance minister, and that the minister had called him for a discussion and asked him to keep the note aside, as big people were involved. The former advisor has also alleged that he received an offer that very evening to keep silent on the issue.

All of us know of the various attempts that Suzuki Motors has been making to take control of the Maruti Udyog Ltd. All such attempts made during the United Front's tenure were foiled. But immediately after the assumption of power by the BJP-led government, there was a change of guard at Maruti with Bhaskaradu being ousted and Suzuki appointing its nominee. Suzuki has now taken full control of all the production, marketing and other functions. Guruswamy has alleged that it is using the transfer pricing mechanism to siphon off huge amounts to Japan.

He has also implicated the prime minister by alleging that it was at his instance that a coal supply transport agreement was arrived between the government of India and the Hindujas for supply of coal to the 1,000 MW project at Vishakapatanam promoted by the latter. Guruswamy alleges that the agreement was signed despite the expenditure secretary's opposition.

Despite the serious nature of the allegations, however, the government kept shying away from conceding to the demand for a JPC probe. It is natural given the fact that these allegations are levelled by a man who, being in such a sensitive position, was privy to such information.

TALL CLAIMS STAND EXPOSED

The short duration discussion that was held on March 15 to discuss the Guruswamy affair could not satisfy the nation. The tall claims made by the BJP about providing a corruption free regime stand exposed. While Guruswamy himself has not accused anybody of making monetary gains, it is obvious that such recommendations for monetary benefit to certain corporate houses are not made without gains. This is especially so in the days of liberalisation and privatisation.

The CPI(M) had warned that while the policies of liberalisation will mortgage the country's economic interests, they will also give the corrupt politicians and individuals a free hand. This is what hawala was all about. A more intensified liberalisation regime means more corruption and underhand dealings. That is exactly what we are witnessing today.

Whether it be the Bhagwat affair or the revelations made by Guruswamy, the country has a right to know the truth. However much the BJP-led government may try to cover up these issues, the ghosts of Bhagwat and Guruswamy will keep haunting it.

By not conceding to the demand vociferously made by the opposition for a JPC probe, the government presumed that the issue will die a natural death. If it had nothing to hide, it should not have shied away from such a probe. Such an undemocratic stance adopted by the government will not be tolerated by the people. The BJP must just look back into recent history to know what happened to the regimes which sought to cover up scandals and dismiss the demands for a fair probe. The people are keenly watching these developments. Sooner than later they will seek an answer.

A party that put itself on a high moral pedestal, a party that claimed to be above and apart from the rest, a party that promised to provide a stable government, an able PM and a corruption free regime, is today facing a whole gamut of allegations. The BJP today has come of age. In the liberalised economic regime which it is pursuing with vehemence, it is natural that corruption also receives a heavy boost.

The people see through the BJP's game. They gave a warning in November 1998. It is up to it to heed or ignore the warning. If they ignore it, they will definitely face the music. The sooner, the better.