The reason for his lapse is known. His hands have been tied by his coalition partner, the DMK's M. Karunanidhi, who will not allow his party member to be sacked or even moved to a different ministry although he is becoming a symbol of unfair practices. The Tamil Nadu chief minister's show of favouritism for an undeserving person is not surprising. First, he does not seem too concerned about the impact on his image of supporting someone who has been accused of corruption on a gargantuan scale. Karunanidhi's long experience in the “cesspool” of politics - Amitabh Bachchan's description after a brief stint in the field - probably tells the DMK supremo that such charges do not inflict permanent damage if only because they can also be levelled against political rivals.

Secondly, Raja's Dalit background gives him additional protection. Having suffered deprivation at the hands of the upper castes for centuries, it is convenient for all Dalits - whether it is U.P. chief minister Mayawati or Justice P.D. Dinakaran - to claim that the allegations of malfeasance against them are a continuation of the old conspiracy to keep them down.

Karunanidhi's obduracy has been privately described by a Congressman as an “abuse” of coalition dharma. Even if this is true, the prime minister cannot be absolved of responsibility in this sordid episode because accepting the wrongful dictates of a bullying partner can hardly be regarded as a virtue. It is not that Manmohan Singh is incapable of firmness. As he showed on the nuclear deal, he can stand his ground even at the risk to his government. At that time, the allies and even large sections of his own party were not very enthusiastic about the measure. But the prime minister did not budge although the Left withdrew its support.

It is time that Manmohan Singh calls the DMK's bluff about withdrawing support because he is in a more advantageous position than in the case of the nuclear deal. For instance, not everyone in the country and the scientific establishment was convinced about the virtues of the deal. Where “Spectrum” Raja is concerned, however, the entire country, including wide sections in his home state, are likely to endorse any move to dismiss him. The reason, of course, is the massive amount involved in the scam - an unimaginable Rs 1.4 lakh crore - which is undoubtedly more than in any other scandal. It is said to be the result of the allotment of wireless spectrum and licences to private operators in 2007 on the basis of the 2001 prices.

The endorsement is likely to be all the greater because of Raja's and his party's brazenness in the face of sharp indictments from Supreme Court, the CAG and the Central Vigilance Commission. Of these, the apex court's observations have perhaps been the most stinging - and must be a source of considerable embarrassment to Manmohan Singh.

The prime minister will also not find it easy to deflect the charge about the CBI's “slipshod” manner of investigation into the scandal, as the Supreme Court has said. If anything, it has confirmed the widespread belief that the prime investigating agency remains a prisoner in the government's hands, especially where the illegalities of the ruling parties are concerned. The judiciary's question as to why Raja was still a minister would be widely echoed.

It is not the prime minister alone whose image will suffer. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, too, will not escape unhurt. The belief will grow that to enable the government to continue in office, she is willing to turn a blind eye to acts of misdemeanour, of which Raja's are probably the most audacious. It hasn't been easy for the Congress to live down its reputation for corruption, which was largely responsible for its loss of power in the 1980s and '90s and which is presumably still the reason why it is unable to get a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha and remains out of power in several key states.

It will take a bold act for the Congress to refurbish its image. Cutting the party's links with Shibu Soren was an important step in this respect, but Raja has undone whatever little the Congress might have been able to achieve to pose as a clean party. Now, even his sacking will not be of much help since it will be seen as a belated reaction to the Supreme Courts' rebuke.
(IPA Service)