Hammad Asghar Shad
Almost the whole world agrees that corruption, be it financial or any other kind is a menace to any society. There is no doubt that if injustice increases in any country, it will lead to the destruction of that society. Probably this is the reason that the people are facing difficulties in getting justice, especially in the Indo-Pak sub-continent. In the same context, it is noteworthy that although India never tires of promoting its so-called democracy, the fact is that the Modi government acts as a puppet of some big Indian capitalists like MukeshAmbani, Adani etc. So that’s why corruption has become the order of the day in India. In this context, it is important that according to Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index, India ranks 86th in terms of corruption. In addition, the Financial Crimes Enforcement also released a report last year stating that 44 banks in India, including Punjab National Bank, Kotak Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Kanara Bank, Indusland Bank and Bank of Broda, Were found involved in money laundering. The banks laundered 1,530,000,000 through 3201 illegal transactions. According to observers, these figures give a good idea of the high level of corruption in India.It is noteworthy, that to investigate the alleged corruption in the Raphael warplane deal between India and France, the Financial Crime Branch (PNF) of the French Public Prosecution Service has stated on July 2, 2021, that a French judge has been appointed to investigate allegations of corruption. It may be recalled that an agreement was reached between India and France for the purchase of 36 aircraft in 2016. In this regard, the Congress, India’s largest opposition party, had accused the Modi government of corruption in the Rs 59,000 crore deals. France’s Public Prosecution Service’s Financial Crimes Branch (PNF) initially refused to investigate. Then Media Part, an investigative website, accused the PNF and France’s anti-corruption agency of suppressing alleged corruption in the deal. According to reports, Media Part had claimed in April this year that the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation had paid millions of euros in commission to the broker for this deal.The commission was paid as a bribe to those Indian officials who helped in the deal. However, Dassault said the group’s audit report found no evidence of such corruption. Following the report, a French private organization, Sherpa, which deals with financial corruption, filed a complaint alleging corruption and abuse of office. Following the deal, India’s opposition Congress accused the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) government of bargaining for planes at exorbitant prices.According to observers, Congress had agreed to buy one aircraft for Rs 526 crore, while the Modi government bought one for Rs 1670 crore.Rahul Gandhi has sharply criticized the Modi government after the report came to light.Following the report of the appointment of a judge to investigate in France, Congress has demanded that the deal be investigated by a joint parliamentary committee. Congress has said that only the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) can go into the matter and summon the Indian Prime Minister and others for questioning. Congress spokesperson RandeepSurjewala said in an online news conference that only the JPC is the competent authority and the Indian Supreme Court is not the competent authority to seek all documents. According to him, the ISC had said in its decision that it did not have the authority to demand all the documents. Therefore, Modi will have to say when his government will get an inquiry from the JPC now that its investigation has started in France. The BJP spokesperson said that if a private organization of a country (France) (Sherpa) makes an allegation and its financial institution orders an investigation, it does not mean that there is corruption in it. BJP spokesperson SamatPatra alleged that Rahul Gandhi was playing into the hands of rival defence companies and that his party was trying to weaken India by accusing it of corruption.In such a scenario, serious circles in India itself have expressed the view that it is to be hoped that the rulers of Delhi will also show a big mindset according to their size so that South Asia can be put on the path of real development and prosperity.
