Does it want to govern? Had it been so why then the Pokhran blasts were undertaken in May last? Why does not know that the USA would slap the sanction crippling India’s foreign trade? Other countries followed suit though they did not impose economic sanctions directly. The net result is the 20% loss in the country’s export this year. The trident-wielding Bajrang Dal or the Viswa Hindu Parishad always mouthing slogans of ‘Hindutva’ might have something to fall back upon for conducting a propaganda war, but the common men shortly forgot the episode. What was the government’s information about Pakistan’s preparedness in the nuclear front? The euphoria even in BJP ranks was gone when Pakistan detonated its nuclear device only a few days thereafter. Not that the predecessor government was not asked by the country’s scientists to go in for the nuclear explosions but they used restraint after taking into account the possible fallout of such misadventure. There was sheer lack of foresight. For more than three years the Congress (I) government had opted out of any deal on signing the CTBT. Now it appears that Vajpayee has promised to Mr. Clinton, the US president his readiness to sign the CTBT. Even after the Pokran blasts India is not regarded as a nuclear power by the five unclear powers. A reciprocal bid by the west to support India’s candidacy for a permanent seat in the Security Council has been negated. The BJP-led combine has compromised on the country’s sovereignty with the objective of pampering the saffron bridge, of gaining some political mileage. This is the example of its ‘ability’. The country has started getting a taste of its ‘ability’.

The RSS leader-turned-governor of Bihar, Mr. Sunder Singh Bhandari who had been itching to settle a score with Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav made a recommendation for imposition of President’s rule in September last and the tinpot Sardar Patel of the Home Ministry, Mr L.K. Advani lapped it up and both Mr Advani and the Prime Minister Mr Vajpayee were swift enough to forward the cabinet’s approval to the President, Mr K. R. Narayanan. Did the BJP and its coalition partners have a majority in the Rajya Sabha then too? The President saved the Government’s face by sending back to it its recommendation.

The BJP-led government at the Centre completed a year of its rule at Delhi on March 19. What was its performance? It made steep increases in the prices of wheat, rice, sugar, and of urea fertiliser. The price of diesel was lowered and was again increased. Cooking gas costs more now. Prices of all essential commodities are soaring and the common man is being fleeced at the sweet will of the BJP. The Patents’ Bill has been passed paving the way for steep increases in the prices of even life saving drugs. Now the BJP is hell bent to open the insurance sector to the foreign companies to the extent of 26% of shares in a company for the time being. The promise is that they will be given the controlling share of 51% in a year or two. The country’s finances will be controlled by foreigners with the indigenous companies playing a second fiddle only. Railway freight and fares have been jacked up considerably at a time when the country’s economic health is far from sound. The Prime Minister or the Finance Minister have not joined issue with critics who have said that the government wants to keep the West in good humour. The government is after another tranche of loan from the World Bank. Obedient boys indeed. The BJP is chummy with the indigenous industrialists too. To do them favour, men at the top in the Union Government have resorted to corruption.

Before discussing improprieties in financial dealings let us first discuss the second attempt of Mr Advani to impose President’s rule in Bihar, Mr Sunder Singh Bhandari had one foot forward and made no delay in utilizing the Jahanabad killings of the dalits as a ploy to bring the State under President’s rule.

Mr Advani sent the recommendation to the President Mr K.R. Narayanan for the second time. The Prime Minister was away from the capital and he got it signed by the President. Constitutional propriety was trampled under the feet. A politically shameless, BJP displayed that it was least bothered about democratic traditions. Yet it beat its drums about offering a clean government. They knew they would have to face the Rajya Sabha and there was no escape from its. But who does not know the BJP-Samata combine in Bihar was after causing defection in the RJD legislature party? There was little prospect of it either. The Samata Party supremo, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar was after Mrs. Rabri Devi’s chair and the BJP-Samata caucus in Bihar was for waiting till April 12 when the cabinet resolution was to be placed in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP is in hopeless minority. The BJP or the Samata Party does not own up responsibility for the Bihar fiasco. Rather they are shedding tears for the Congress(I) which has not come out in support of the BJP in Parliament. Did Sonia Gandhi pledge her party’s support to bail the BJP out? Constitutional proprieties and niceties have received a good deal of beating at the hands of the BJP. Moreover the Bihar imbroglio has exposed the BJP’s gross political misjudgment.

Now comes the question of corruption in the BJP-led government at the Centre. From the day Mr Vajpayee assumed office as the country’s Prime Minister on March 19 last year, he has been trumpeting his government’s transparency and more often than not, claiming that his government has nothing to hide.

First in the history of the country’s defence services, the naval Chief, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat has been sacked. Admiral Bhagwat himself has claimed that he has been a victim of the Defence Minister Mr George Fernendes and arms lobby close to him. The charge is very serious and has been levelled by no less a person who a few weeks ago was the country’s naval chief. The Opposition has the right to know about it as the country’s defence preparedness is involved. When the BJP was in the opposition it demanded forming a joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the allegation about pay-off in the Bofors gun deal on a mere radio announcement. But Mr Vajpayee and others are fighting tooth and nail against constitution of a JPC on the issue of sacking of Admira Bhagwat. Why the BJP is following a double standard when it claims the government has nothing to hide.

The charge of corruption has been made again by Mr Mohan Guruswamy who only a few days ago was the adviser to the Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswanta Sinha. Mr Guruswamy alleged that the price of imported steel was fixed at 302 dollars per tonne when the price was ruling at 185 dollars a tonne. This was done to benefit an industrial house close to the BJP. Everybody knows that Mr Vapayees is close to the Hindujas. Allegations of favours from the Prime Minister’s office have been made.

The BJP’s ‘able’ Prime Minister as been put on the mat being charged with showing favour to the Industrial house he has been associated with for long. Added to this is the Government’s attempt to hand over the country’s blue chip company, ITC to the British American Tobacco Company (BAT) by helping the BAT to acquire the UTI shares.