2G SCAM VERDICT – A PAGE OUT OF ‘RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!”

By Ruma Dubey

The 2G scam. It is the biggest scam India has ever seen; we are talking about Rs.1.76 lakh crore of money. And this 2G scam was the master stroke on which the BJP got its landslide victory as people were simply sick and tired of the corrupt UPA Govt.  

And today, judgement day, all the 19 accused were acquitted. Not a single person today stands accused for the scam; all are free to go and the money is also all gone. So was there a scam at all? If no one is accused, seriously, did the scam happen? Where has all the money gone? Pictures were circulating then, showing A.Raja’s – the mascot of the scam, resplendent house; we all could clearly see how much money would have been spent to build that mansion. And what about the multiple phone lines which were proof of Sun TV’s involvement?

The scam had rocked the nation and we all Indians hung our head in shame. Allocating airwaves to mobile services on a first-come-first-serve basis, holding no auctions and taking huge amounts of bribe to arbitrarily change norms to benefit individuals and companies, changing the cut-off date for application of licence, handing over licences at spectrum entry fee charges of 2001 in 2008; all this was atrocious.

If all the telecom licenses allotted during Raja’s tenure were cancelled by the Supreme Court in 2012, how come today not a single person is responsible?

Those who were present in the court room and reporting from there said that the prosecution was very weak – it could not establish any financial trial and linkages; thus with no proof, naturally all accused were released.

Somehow, this tarnishes the way we look at the way justice is meted out. The Judge was right – no proof so no sentences. But it does point a finger at the ways in which prosecution always works when it comes to the rich and the famous. This means, one can get away with anything, even something as huge as this.

Also one cannot help but wonder at the timing of the verdict today. It was declared so early during the very same day that RK Nagar constitution in Chennai goes to the polls. The moment the verdict was announced, there were reports of voters looking at DMK anew.

Yes, the message we got today from this shocking verdict is that in India, all the corrupt politicians are saints and only we, the voters and the tax payers are culprits and victims who need to suffer. If all the accused were all innocent, seriously, why was the judgement postponed after the April hearing? Why did it take them 8 months to acquit every single one of them?

We cannot help but wonder where has all of Modi’s talk gone? This was the scam on the basis of which he won elections and promised us that all guilty will be brought to justice. So were the elections won on a bag of lies? Or like the murmur growing into a voice – did these scamsters get away as the BJP is looking at an alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu?

Jayalalitha acquitted, Salman khan acquitted, Kanimoli acquitted, Raja acquitted. So it is always a happy ending for all political, rich and famous people. People who take a loan of Rs.1000 are forced to commit suicide and here, people loot lakhs of crore and they walk free. Really, where are we heading?

Clearly, today’s verdict on the 2G scam sends the message across that the judiciary and investigation agencies are just tools which Govt's use for their political gain! Sad day for all of us, ordinary citizens of India.