As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government completes a year in office, the leitmotif of the BJP leaders' statements on its achievements is that it has come out with a corruption-free image. But we must know that scams do not surface immediately. They take months and sometimes even decades to come under the radar, depending on how seriously they are investigated. The 2G spectrum allocation and coal scam only came to light in the United Progressive Alliance's second term.
Anyhow, if the BJP leaders think that they are whiter than white, then why are the posts of central vigilance commissioner and chief information commissioner still lying vacant? There is no movement on the implementation of the Lokpal Act either, which was passed during the UPA government. The Central Bureau of Investigation continues to be without the autonomy required for pursuing high-profile corruption cases without fear or favour. This state of affairs only shows the reality of the government's much-vaunted fight against corruption.
Like most other parties, the BJP is yet to come clean about funds received from various sources for elections, especially the Lok Sabha elections held last year. The ritual of celebration of the anniversary of any government is meaningless in the absence of any concrete policies and programmes to deliver on electoral promises.
Tarsem Singh, Hoshiarpur
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