Thank God for Coalgate!

Udit Misra
Updated: Nov 3, 2012 08:52:58 PM UTC

When I was in Class 8, I failed in Mathematics in the first term exam. I was terribly disappointed and sad. My class teacher, one of the most perceptive people I have ever met, Mr. Sachidanand Singh, wrote a rather unexpected yet hugely supportive remark. He said, “Never mind the results, you are long distance runner.”

That inspired me so much that I worked hard and in the second term I scored 93 in Mathematics. However, I failed in Chemistry!

Mr. Nanda, as we all addressed him, wrote another gem that has stayed with me.

"A grain of sand may be painful for the Oyster but that’s how pearls are made. Last time it was Mathematics. This time it’s Chemistry!”

However, my idea wasn’t just to humour you with a self-deprecating tale from lousy academic records. I find Mr. Nanda’s statement quite apt in the context of the coal scam that is rocking the country’s political establishment at present.

Before commenting on the Coalgate, let me first show my credentials for doing so. Here is the link to a detailed investigation I did as Staff Writer in Mint way back in 2008. This was perhaps the first story that accused PM Manmohan Singh, also the Coal Minister, of foul play in coal block allocation.

That was 2008 and Singh was King. Even after writing a detailed story based on months of investigation, there were no takers in the mainstream media. Why? Because Manmohan Singh was like Caesar’s Wife: always above suspicion.

Now of course, he looks more like an aam aadmi's molested widow, trying to hide many dirty secrets by remaining silent. So much for accountability especially from a PM who wants us to remember him for ushering in a new era of transparency by legislating the Right to Information.

Anyway, let me tell you why I celebrate the political mess in the wake of Coalgate.

I presume by now you know a few things about coal allocation in India. One, it was not done in a clean and efficient manner. Two, the government of the day knew this all along and still took almost two electoral terms to enact an alternative system. Three, the government’s defense—that even the opposition parties were milking the system—sounds more like the pot calling the kettle black.

So far so good.

What do we know from the reaction of the Opposition benches? Firstly, Parliament and its all so revered committees account for nothing.  So what if all the politicians berated Team Anna for saying the same thing last year.

The BJP has essentially said that they have had enough of the sham debates and discussions in the parliament. They want to debate the issue where it really matters: prime time TV news channels. I agree, if only because our top news anchors appear to be more in control while conducting debates than the chairs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. At least, anchors don't adjourn the show—although sometimes we wish they would!

Secondly, the BJP-led NDA had a largely similar allocation process when it was in power.

Thirdly, some BJP ruled states actually wanted to hold back the proposed reforms.

Lastly, the BJP only wants to score political brownie points over the Congress without actually facing a debate in the Parliament. The reason? In an open parliamentary debate, BJP can at best hope for a pyrrhic victory. In all likelihood, the Congress seems to have the wherewithal to expose the BJP’s weaknesses.

I believe, at a time when the whole country is in a churn, Coalgate provides us with a wonderful opportunity to see the political spectrum in its true colours.

On the face of it, Coalgate represents a political crisis and a national shame. Yet, if we are wise as a people, we should use this obvious grain of sand and transform it into a pearl.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.

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