By  Geetha V P

The twin ouster- of Rail Minister Pawankumar Bansal for bribery and Law minister Ashwinikumar for tinkering CBI report on coal scam- brought the esteem of Dr. Manmohan Sigh to the lowest level.  For, the people at large, even from his own party, are reluctant to concede, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, as head of the Union Government  had   little knowledge of the rampant corruption of his ministerial colleagues.

“It is nonsense to argue, trillion rupee corruptions like Coal gate and 2G has happened with little understanding of the prime minister or his office” says Sobha Menon, an employee of a private firm in Kochi.

Yes, it’s hard to believe,   the Law minister or the Joint secretary PMO would not have  dare to summon the CBI report for  ‘suitable correction’ on their own.  Since the scam happened while the coal ministry was under prime minster,   and any adverse reference of the minister in charge of coal ministry would jeopardize Dr. Singh’s position as prime minister.  This wisdom could have prompted the PMO and then the Law Minister and his legal experts to act with haste to tamper with the CBI report that amply indicted the then coal ministry headed by Dr. Singh.

Though Dr. Singh played all his cards to protect the two tainted cabinet colleagues, under duress from an influential section of the party leadership including defense minister A K Antony and Mr. Ahamed Patel, Political secretary to the party president Sonia Gnadhi had to dictate Dr. Singh to expel the two tainted ministers and he had little option but to submit.

In fact, of late a sensible section of the Congress also has almost realized, as head of the government Dr Manmohan Singh is proven failure. But to save their skin the party is now compelled to put up a brave face defending Dr Manmohan Singh, saying in public “he is a man of impeccable integrity.”

In the past two years more than half a dozen of his ministers were charged with corruption. The total money involved in various scam in the past two years were a whooping 5.5 trillion rupee. The scams include 2G spectrum (1.76 trillion) and coal gate (1.86 trillion).  The bribes and other illicit earnings of his colleagues are yet to be unearthed.

Majority in the country and abroad see him as an indecisive, incompetent bureaucrat heading a deeply corrupt government. Since Dr Singh was installed as prime minster of the country in 2004, economic reforms were slowed down, growth dwindled and the rupee collapsed. But his cabinet colleagues made billions while the prime minster looked the other way unconcerned of the rampant looting by his team-mates.

Even his onetime admirers feel Mr. Singh has become a “tragic figure”. “He has lost the pedestal of reputation and respect and now seen as an object of contempt.”