ECONOMIC EMERGENCY WITH A DIFFERENCE

As we had seen in the case of Jayalalitha, Salman Khan, Ramalinga Raju, etc. the rich and politically influential are able to influence even the top courts by employing very senior lawyers at an enormous cost. When corrupt politicians, lawyers and businessmen are joined by corrupt senior government officials, they constitute a formidable force. Together they have cast a web which protects them from government action.

Even in the USA with its huge financial muscle internationally, it is only in the last few years that the government has been able to force foreign bankers to disclose the names of their deposit holders.  India has no power worth mentioning over foreign banks even if they could get a list of deposit holders from hackers and their own intelligence agencies. In China or Russia it is no problem. Day in and day out their rich are just thrown in jail on flimsy political or other charges and that teaches a lesson to other rich. But in India the same entrenched forces which were behind generating black money will protect these criminals. Our courts at present are no better than Gandhi's monkeys when it comes to serious action. 

The only way out is coercion, which though illegal, will have huge popular support and get immediate result. But should we go that way? Indira Gandhi went that way, though for a different purpose, during Emergency. It was so effective that even the trains ran on time! Judges were crawling when they were only asked to bend, as said by George Fernandez. While coercion will surely be a short term remedy, in the long run it will not be effective and will have worse side effects than the cure! 

The only way it could be done is selective coercion with the judiciary helping the government, with a wink. People will understand the compulsions. With a government which still has a reputation of not being corrupt, though many of its leaders are routinely accused of being no better than Congressmen, it may work. Because people will be able to see that it is being done only in the national interest and the steps are directed only against those acted against national interest. Once a couple of big fish are thrown in jail and their wealth is almost confiscated and their reputation in the mud, the other big fish will join together behind the same Congressmen to overthrow this government with the help of media and disgruntled opposition. But it will not work. 

This government is determined and that is clear. It wants to be democratic. And that is also clear by its not road rolling the opposition in Parliament but let letting it indulge in its destructive behaviour to some extent. But let the government get its majority in Rajya Sabha, then you will see the force with which it democratically enforces justice and law. The same thing was done during Emergency also somewhat successfully for a limited duration. but it cannot be repeated now. The media is totally independent with the worldwide internet and social media.

http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/the-black-money-bill-is-like-a-medu-vada-762703?utm_source=ndtv&utm_medium=top-stories-widget&utm_campaign=story-9-http%3a%2f%2fwww.ndtv.com%2fopinion%2fthe-black-money-bill-is-like-a-medu-vada-762703