Indeed, the conviction of an incumbent Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa and her accomplice, in the “Disproportionate Assets Case” is a triumph for Indian judicial system. Jayalaithaa and her accomplice are sentenced to four years in prison and must pay a substantial fine. Corruption is a sickness that has decimated the Indian nation for decades. In no uncertain terms, corruption has been and remains the sole reason why India continues to be a third world country.
Unless this malady is eradicated from our system, “ache din aane wale hai” is a false assumption and a distant reality. It is sad to see the gullible masses turn against the judicial system in violent protest when leaders are convicted for right reason, which is to uphold the justice. The crime committed by these leaders is a crime against the common man. Examine the assets of the MLAs and ministers of Goa from the time of liberation, especially in the last three decades. It seems that after they win an election, they automatically become CEOs of big firms, since their assets increase by leaps and bounds in no time. The last elections were fought on a platform calling for corruption to be eradicate, because its level had reached a point of desperation. The BJP government in power for over two years has been bluffing the people with an axiom, “Zero tolerance to corruption” because corruption is as rampant in the present government as it was in the previous administrations.
The Chief Minister has the audacity to say, “Whether you like it or not, Goa will have the second airport.” The tone and the undercurrent are symptomatic of the same malady, and that malady is dragging India behind. It cannot be “Make India.”
The Chief Minister is working overtime and against the mind of the judiciary to resume mining in Goa. The government wants to reward those who robbed the state. It is contrary to the triumph of Tamil Nadu’s judicial system in the case of disproportionate assets.
Goans should also scrutinize the mega-housing projects. To date, the government is unable to control the garbage problem and to set up a sewage system to protect our rivers and creeks. How can the government contemplate even issuing licenses for huge housing projects and selling precious land to outsiders, when basic infrastructure is collapsing before our eyes?
Now the Chief Minister wants to expedite the construction of Mopa airport. “Whether Goans like it or not” is not his concern, but he certainly is aware that builders and land mafias like it, and that is all that matters. Such has been the attitude of subsequent governments since liberation. Will the service of justice ever be rescued from those who have squandered the public treasury, and are bent on destroying Goa’s natural resources? Is anyone looking out for Goa and Goans?
