Guy Down The Street

Apropos: Volcker controversy broils over

Two observations catch the eye:

It appears that Indian politicians believe that a vehement and stout defence is a good substitute for honesty. Any time a politician is indicted in some commission and report, the politician’s response is: “It is an attempt to malign my good name, I know nothing about any of this”. They do not feel any need to offer any reasonable explanation as to why their name was raised, where was the money received, why they had to travel, etc.

Mr. Natwar Singh’s lame defense is that he is being implicated because he opposed the US war in Iraq. However, many, many leaders opposed the war, many of them even more categorically than Mr. Natwar Singh. Still, it is only the names and bank accounts of son and close accomplices of Mr. Natwar Singh’s that have been mentioned in the report. At the very least, Mr. Natwar Singh should give an explanation on how those names and accounts came about.

Further, it also appears that our leaders lack the political acumen to see a storm when it is coming, before it destroys them. Why else would Mr. Manmohan Singh delay the outcome against Mr. Natwar Singh, when every day the voice of opposition only gets stronger? It is increasingly clear that his days are numbered, so why not accept the fate with the least amount of damage to the credence of the government? Mr. Natwar Singh should also understand that whether he is guilty or not, it is time for him to go, at least temporarily. Perhaps he should take inspiration from the late Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, who resigned when his wife was found to have a US dollar bank account (although all assets were obtained legally).