2G Scam Verdict: Nothing Changes Except That DMK Won’t be a Pariah

Nothing will change after the 2G verdict as the accused have already paid the political price.

Nothing will change after the 2G verdict as the accused have already paid a price politically.

(Photo: Erum Gour/ The Quint)

Punished, but not guilty. It’s not often you encounter such stories in Indian politics. 2G is one such. Personal humiliation, political loss of power, time in jail, all of it was enforced upon the accused.

Kanimozhi Karunanidhi was the most high-profile face among those declared guilty, even before a trial began. A Raja and the rest were the other faces.

What 2G ‘Scam’ Cost the Congress and DMK

The Congress lost India, the DMK was decimated in Tamil Nadu, and the beginning of their collapse was with the infamous 2G scam. Dr Manmohan Singh, perhaps THE most personally uncorrupt faces in the Congress, was tarnished and sullied.

The verdict today may be no solace for all those accused. They may celebrate it, but they have all paid the price. It will change nothing, except for reigniting the lost individual political careers of A Raja and Kanimozhi.

Political Fortunes of DMK Likely to Rise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to meet M Karunanidhi a few weeks ago was a symbolic assertion that the DMK is no longer a political untouchable for the Centre.

The party, after the death of J Jayalalithaa, had emerged as the singular force in the State, and the BJP may seek an ally in it for 2019 – the two had a winning alliance in 1999 and broke away just before 2004.

These political convolutions are speculative, but ultimately, only a few questions remain unanswered.

What about the alleged loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the nation? Was it a figment of the CAG’s imagination?

Was it all just a political and corporate conspiracy? Was Raja, the man portrayed as the symbol of extreme corruption, just a victim?

Or is it just that political realities have changed so much that none of it really matters?

What about corporate beneficiaries? What about the Nira Radia tapes?

Several Questions, Few Answers

Too many questions, but no answers. Just like how it was when it began.

This may be a lesson that anything can happen in Indian politics.

On TV, the very reporters/anchors who accused the accused of being destroyers of India and went for their throats, are now joyfully attempting interviews. Does it really matter, today?

Guess it’s just all in a day in the life of India.

(The writer is an independent journalist. He can be reached @TMVRaghav . This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)