Gas Baalu

Gas Baalu
-By Susenjit Guha

Rising to new heights in defiance in re-calibration of morality of the public office, Mr.Baalu--- instead of repenting---admitted in the Rajya Sabha that he had used his position to secure gas for the companies owned by his family and found nothing wrong with it.

A hungry man is an angry man.

Nations can be hungry too. India is hungry for energy.

With oil prices showing no signs of abating, gas has become an indispensable fuel for industries, power generation, fertilizer production and household consumption.

That is exactly why the Congress party---even after an unsuccessful attempt to nearly sovereignty-sell India on the N-deal and a successful vote against Iran at the IAEA---is now looking forward to president Ahmadinejad’s 3 hour stopover visit. India needs Iran’s gas and the contentious transit fee hitches with Pakistan are already being worked out.

And angry reactions to US’ suggestions to talk the Iranians out of making nuclear bombs reflected how hunger leads to anger.

Hunger for energy and resources---common among the two emerging Asian economies, China and India who are also scrambling for them in volatile Africa---are natural with our much touted growth rate.

But the swag of oddities begins here.

What we keep seeing as growth, benefits barely 10% of the population. 10% in India is huge and glossy enough to eclipse the 90%. With inflation soaring, the 90% are the hardest hit. Basic food grains---their staple diet---vegetables and all edibles have to be bought at higher prices every time.

They are hungry and when concerns are raised, Dr.Manmohan Singh thinks political parties are politicizing poverty. 90% do not have the wherewithal to spiraling income to combat spiraling inflation.

And Rahul Gandhi---who was referred to as Congress’s future to Congressmen by Dr.Singh---recently went on dalit-darshans and quizzed them(they fall in the 90%) about his family before the prime minister hinted or made us believe that he was irked about politicians making an issue out of the poor.

The 10% and their economic achievements can be talked about as much as possible and showcased as India’s success story. That would make for good advertisement without being a bother for politicians. Why bother when everything in that bracket is hunky-dory?

And everything was hunky-dory for Union Minister T.R.Baalu till his party opted out of the earlier NDA alliance. GAIL cancelled the gas allocation to companies owned by his sons and they presumably fell sick and went under BIFR.

Rising to new heights in defiance in re-calibration of morality of the public office, Mr.Baalu--- instead of repenting---admitted in the Rajya Sabha that he had used his position to secure gas for the companies owned by his family and found nothing wrong with it.

He said he ‘put in a word’ which in fact resulted in 8 letters in 3 months from the PMO to expedite gas supply to the companies.

What about several other BIFR companies not related to ministers holding office?

It means if you are a politician in power or part of a governing alliance and hold public office, you can always ‘put in a word’ and let the PMO do the rest to kick start family owned companies that had been way-laid by previous governments antagonistic towards you.

Nothing wrong and no problem with the anomaly that similar ventures way-laid due to several other factors will not have the reach you shall enjoy.

Do we need to brace up to a paradigm shift in morality of the public office?

Or, will gassed up companies float leaving others rooted on terra firma?

Both our major political parties have proved they are at times out of sync with ground realities and allowed caste based, parochial and regional parties to loom up. In the era of coalition governments, they have to be kept in good humour and whatever is required to keep them on board---even 8 letters---has to be done.

But there is a silver lining.

Democracy ensures that if unchecked price rise leads to hunger, anger will be reflected on the election results since those affected, will belong to more than 90% of the population.