Oh, Morality’s Current Standard-bearers!!

COMMUNICATION

A few weeks back the media reported that some kins of the recently retired Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, have amassed huge fortunes which their known sources of income cannot account for. To this the answer of the worthy judge was that his kins would have to explain, meaning thereby that there was no onus on him.

This brings to mind certain standards of moral conduct set up by our national leaders.

In the pre-independence days, Shri Pattabhi Sitaramayya, who was then the Speaker of Madras Presidency’s Legislative Assembly, got a scent that one of his close relatives was trying to strike some business deals using his name. He at once publicly declared that no quarter should be given to any such effort. The relative’s business collapsed in no time.

When Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s Iron Man, got a scent that his son was trying to strike such deals, he clearly told his son not to come near him and that his daughter Maniben Patel alone would be able to take care of him.

When Sitaram Kesari was the Congress President, he too got a scent about his son’s efforts at making some business deals using his name; he publicly forbade his son to come to his Delhi home.

The custodian of our country’s judicial system could not even conceive of such moral conduct. This was the tragedy. He preferred to let the people feel that he had no ears to hear, no eyes to see. Of course, he is in the illustrious company of our current Prime Minister.

The PM cannot see when a Telecom Minister takes a devious route to defraud the public exchequer. He could not see when bundles of currency notes were exchanged prior to the parliamentary debate on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Sailendra Nath Ghosh

77, Manavsthali Apartments,

Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi-110096

sailendranathghosh@yahoo.com / sailendranathg@gmail.com

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