A resolution called the Bengaluru Declaration was adopted recently at the conclusion of an international conference on Dr BR Ambedkar organized by the Congress Government in Karnataka. It stated that regressive forces with State power were systematically dismantling the institutions that were the foundations of our society by undermining India’s holistic welfare and affirmative action architecture and by destroying the pluralistic fabric of our nation. These concerns needed to be addressed urgently and the attacks resisted boldly. All Governments in the country were accordingly called upon to uphold constitutional values and the rule of law. Academics from the National law School of India, Azim Premji University and Jawaharlal Nehru University — the crème de la crème — and policy makers were among those involved in drafting the Declaration after broad consultations during the Conference, including with members from the general public.

The core message underpinning the Resolution has echoed in different forms over the last few months and also been taken up in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session. It is heartening that these robust articulations are receiving traction. Reiteration and reinforcement are imperative to ensure they do not get bumped off the radar of stringent public scrutiny.

In this backdrop of justifiably indignant righteousness it is, however, deeply disappointing to hear the jarring high-decibel chorus of political vendetta, revenge and witch-hunting when investigative action is initiated on allegations of corruption against high-value politicians in the Opposition ranks. Intriguingly, here law is not supposed to take its course. A convenient spin is provided to buttress the “leave – tainted – netas – be” crusade. This rests on the purported sanctity of Opposition solidarity which must not be dented at any cost for the noble cause of resurrecting the idea of India from the imagined sinister designs of forces of certain select hues. It appears to be just fine to repeat ad nauseam the clichés of Investigative Agencies being the designated Dirty Tricks Department packed with obsequious minions , tasked to assiduously mine and reopen decades-old probes and harass fancied stalwarts who supposedly have it in them to pull down the Government. These are flogged with ridiculous seriousness and misplaced solemnity. P Chidambaram, former Finance Minister, when drawn into the investigative protocol with his son for alleged shady deals, piously proclaims that he will not be silenced and will continue to speak and write against the Government. He cleverly paints himself in with beleaguered media honchos, NGOs and civil society activists, many of whom actually have a lot of explaining to do, which they go through dazzlingly creative hoops to avoid ! It is faintly amusing to find the ex- Minister deluding himself that he is deftly shooting incendiary ammo at the Government as a self-appointed demolition-guy. Hubris, refusing to fade away.

Lalu Prasad, convicted in the fodder scam, jailed thrice, disqualified from Parliament, barred from contesting elections and reportedly now the biggest landlord in Bihar , is the unsurprising darling of the fragmented Opposition. He is the beacon of hope, having swung a massive mandate in Bihar in 2015 for the crassly expedient mahagatbandhan with “Sushasana Babu”, who tomtoms zero -tolerance for corruption and the Congress.

There was, for obvious reasons, no murmur or negative comment from the Opposition when the Supreme Court on 8 May, held that the RJD supremo and other accused persons be tried separately for corruption and criminal conspiracy in cases involving the withdrawal of money and falsification of records in connection with the Rs. 900-crore fodder scam referenced above. The Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy set aside the 2014 Jharkhand High Court decision to drop charges against Lalu on the ground that he could not be found guilty of the same offence twice under Section 300 of the Cr PC. It directed the CBI Court to complete the trial in nine months and also pulled up the CBI for delaying the filing of its appeal against the High Court order of discharge. There was a delay of 500 days!

Between 1998 and 2006, Lalu and spouse, Rabri Devi, both former CMs of Bihar by turns — a truly global record — were embroiled in a high profile DA case. Patna High Court granted him bail and extended it over 20 times. These remain badges of honour, going by the cloying adulation heaped on the rustic charmer. More than ample evidence of tolerance — much in demand today — from political fellow travellers. Impressively, no neta, however tainted, has ever been ostracized by the privileged political class. In that sense , Lalu is no exception but his lionizing is certainly exceptional.

In keeping with this strong , proven spirit of enviable camaraderie, when IT officials conducted raids and surveys in about 22 premises in Delhi and adjoining areas of Gurgaon and Rewari over benami land deals allegedly involving Lalu and his brood, said to be running into 1000s of crores, there was a virtual stampede of luminaries , led by the Congress, to protest against what was red-flagged as muzzling of the Opposition.

The same fetid howl of injured innocence went up again when FIRs were filed by the CBI against Lalu, Rabri and son, Tejaswi Yadav on charges of making illegal profits during Lalu’s tenure as Railway Minister. Lalu statedly rigged terms of tenders for running Railway hotels in favour of a company that, in lieu sold prime land at underpriced rates to a benami company owned by his close associate, Sarla Gupta. Ashok Choudhury, Bihar’s HRD Minister and State Congress Chief, couldn’t have been more groveling in his support. “Since BJP have failed to defeat the Grand Alliance through the people’s mandate, they are now misusing the Government machinery to target us”. The AICC spokesperson went one better to declare that the investigations did not bode well for democracy!

Lalu flying into paroxysm of rage, spurred by deep anxiety and insecurity about being dethroned from his gilded existence of endless luxury and entitlement, is no shocker. When he starts frenetically tweeting about fighting fascist forces till his dying breath and ranting BJP mein himmat nahi hai Lalu ki awaaz ko dabaa sake, Lalu ko dabaayenge, to desh bhar mein karoron Lalu khade ho jayenge, it is crystal clear that he’s been jolted hard.

“BJP wants to finish me and I want to finish BJP”. That’s his rallying cry for the 27th August Opposition show of strength. He has every reason to believe that they will commit to his grand project, going by past experience and present trends. Mamata Banerjee’s shrill protestations about the Saradha and Narada scams are clones of this hypocrisy dolled up as swish ideology.

It is high time the Opposition came out openly to elucidate what it means by upholding the rule of law. For now, it reeks of only one overriding concern — Government, please stay clear of corrupt netas. Let them live the high life and help bring us back to power at the earliest.

As in many other challenges confronting us, hopefully the Supreme Court will save the day and rule in the PIL before it, in favour of debarring convicted politicians for life from fouling the political arena.

Mission Augmented Democracy, 70 years on, cannot be scuppered by the corrupt, faking it as wannabe messiahs.

(The writer is a retired IAS officer and comments on governance issues.)