Has Narendra Modi Awakened The Kraken in Ram Jethmalani?
Why Ram Jethmalani could possibly be a bigger threat to Modi than the entire Opposition combine.
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Ram Jethmalani is the battering ram of Indian law and politics. As a politician, he’s anti-establishment and politically incorrect. He’s a powerful voice when in opposition and an absolute liability when in government. The 91 year old had played a pivotal role in unseating the Congress and he’s now turned the screws on his own party.
Jethmalani’s “Break Up” With Modi
Ram Jethmalani, on Monday, announced his “break up” with Prime Minister Modi on Twitter and said his “diminshing respect” for Modi has “ended”. The last straw, it appears, was President Pranab clearing the names of KV Chowdhary and Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and Vijai Sharma as Central Information Commissioner (CIC). The top two anti-corruption watch dog agencies were running on auto-pilot for the last nine months and the delay in filling up the posts had been raked up by Sonia Gandhi herself in the recently concluded Parliament Session.
Why is Jethmalani Unhappy?
Ram Jethmalani is unhappy because he has been consistently opposing Arun Jaitley’s recomendee who has now been appointed the Central Vigilance Commissioner. In a letter to the President, he had asked Pranab Mukherjee to whet KV Chowdhary’s record before signing his appointment letter.
For the nation’s sake, call for the entire record of this officer’s involvement in criminal activities from which he has managed to get out with the help of corrupt and anti-national elements, which the Prime Minister unfortunately, cannot control.
– Jethmalani’s letter to President Pranab dated May 26, 2015
On the Warpath
At 91, Ram Jethmalani is believed to be the most expensive criminal lawyer in the country whose last victory was Jayalalithaa’s acquittal. He has successfully defended the indefensible and it’s not for nothing that he’s still the most sought after criminal lawyer in the country. He defended Rajiv Gandhi’s killers, LK Advani, Amit Shah, Kanimozhi, Lalu Prasad, Haji Mastan and even Asaram Bapu.
Black Money Case
But his biggest contribution to unravelling corruption is the Black Money case. He was at the forefront of a writ petition that sought to bring black money back to India. The high octane debate surrounding illegal money stashed in foreign banks dented the Congress’ attempts to rise above the “corrupt” tag.
Jethmalani was expelled from the BJP for demanding Nitin Gadkari’s resignation as party president after the latter’s name surfaced in a series of corruption allegations. But it appears, the current President, Amit Shah, is also not above his wrath.
In the recently concluded Parliament session, Ram Jethmalani questioned the Modi government’s resolve to being back illegal money stashed in foreign banks. He followed up his fiery speech with a series of 12 questions to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and made them public on Twitter.
With KV Chowdhary’s appointment as Central Vigilance Commissioner, Modi may just have unleashed the anti-corruption kracken in Ram Jethmalani.
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