Analysis
Who are We Trying to Fool?
The Central Government has taken up the helicopters deal with the British Prime Minister. Although the Company involved is an Anglo Italian one I fail to understand this action which is anomalous.
It was the Italian government which detected this scam, the main accused are from Italy, but why has our Government decided to take up the matter with the British Head of State? This is strange, and what point are we trying to prove?
The Italian government has mentioned Indians in the deal, but instead of negotiating and parleying with the Italian government we seem to be saying, we will only talk to the big 'bosses'. It is not only equivalence that we are trying to show, but the message is: We will talk to no one less than you. When Italy is rocked by the scandal involving India, we are shamelessly by passing them and in fact the method is elusive and evasive. It is also as if we are trying to put the ball in the court of the UK which is involved not directly, but only vicariously.
As expected the British Prime Minister has given a polite and non commital reply. What else can be expected of him? Instead of forthrightly asking the Italian government for further details we seem to side track the issue and bring unwarranted complications into the matter. I think that not only is this not done, but is patently unfair and even unethical.
Added to this is an almost puissant attitude by our government that we are totally in the dark about this nefarious deal, worth thousands of crores! Come on, we all know that these helicopters were paraded brazenly on Republic day with much fanfare and grandeur. Who are we kidding?
And, then suddenly the matter is diverted to the British government and that too on its Prime Minister's courtesy visit to the country. Do we want to be a small brother of the Big Brother? What point are trying to establish?
It is obvious that the deal was done with the knowledge of the government, and now we seem to be mercy pleading, as if telling the British Head of State that no we are blissfully unaware of such impropriety, please look into the matter. In other words please bail us out. What an opprobrious thing to do !
In the meantime shame and scandal has rocked Italy. But we, without batting our eyelids are sitting pretty, and circumnavigating the entire scandalous issue.
I think our democratic ideals have crashed rock bottom.
Who are we trying to fool?
20-Feb-2013
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Ananya S Guha
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