The most frequent response one gets to hear about any of Dr. Subramaniam Swamy’s exploits is "look, he’s at it again!". So once more we have the President of the Janata Party trying desperately to raise a storm through a series of statements, which he has made between 20/06/2000 and 21/3/2001. Indeed some of the allegations he makes are entirely new. Others as one might have guessed are old proclamations covered in a new, glossy but characteristically ambiguous language. These latter proclamations are the same repetitive banter of people who have gone hoarse making them, for people who have grown deaf and tired from listening to them. Mr Swamy has however not been as prudent as he used to be in the past as some of his "unguided missiles" possess "libel capability" which might land him into further trouble. Consider this for instance;

That accusation was hurled at three state governments on 1/12/2000. The abuse in his allegation, the ambivalence of his information and the audacity of his statement as a whole, demonstrate conclusively that academic qualifications alone do not make for an adroit argument or erudite politicians.

There are two aspects in the accusations, which Mr.Swamy has made. Earlier we have spoken about the distinction between what in his statements is entirely new and what is evidently old hat, unproven after twelve years of aggressive and vindictive allegations. It is necessary to probe the new set of allegations, particularly those that have been verified and alleged by sources other than just Dr.Swamy. For instance the links between the MDMK and the LTTE or, equally importantly, the matter of defence procurement, which suffers on camera, from having discredited individuals guiding it, or indeed discrepancies in the Joint Venture Agreement signed in 1997 between India and Oman which involves the highest offices in the land. Alternatively Dr. Swamy’s attacks on the RSS made at the end of last year are praiseworthy, but suffer from a crisis of credibility, as it is an organisation he once belonged to himself.

The world at large has been led to believe, both by Mr. Swamy and by elements in media that his utterances are a direct attack on Mrs. Sonia Gandhi herself, in truth there is absolutely nothing new in these statements that holds anything worthy of a CBI, or any other kind of investigation against her directly. Bank account numbers belonging to Quattarochi are flushed out (no concern of Mrs. Gandhi!); her sister and mother are credited with smuggling and money laundering with the help of the LTTE (provocative but sterile invective, and libellous). We also see a general thrust in his statements repeatedly calling for her ouster as leader of the Opposition. Indeed Dr. Swamy goes so far as to say that,

It is true that even in the past many people, great and good have held similar ideas inside their heads. It was two years ago that the Three Wise Men of the Congress party decided for themselves that her leadership was a liability, where Dr. Swamy are they now? Leading half a dozen MP’s in Parliament where they once commanded the respect of at least 150. There is no Indian National Congress without Sonia Gandhi.

Dr. Swamy is at least decent enough to admit that the basis for his allegations is "informed gossip"! That and extracts from moth-eaten cuttings of various articles by writers A.G.Noorani, Vaiju Naravane and others. Yet in his latest interview Swamy insists, "I have never made allegations that I cannot substantiate in the court of law." Provided they are permissible in court and contain the legal formalities required by the courts. Whether or not the CBI will even take him seriously is a matter for the agency to decide, however it was the CBI itself, which had issued a statement earlier this year saying that Dr. Subramaniam Swamy had committed "a fraud on the court". Evidently Mr Swamy is not only a menace to the polity and society of India but also to the judiciary since the Attorney General, Ashok Desai is on record saying that Dr Swamy’s fraud;

Nonetheless the most consistent allegation that Swamy has been making for almost a year now without rest or refrain is that the Congress has gone soft on the LTTE and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. This is serious, not only because it is merely a figment of his imagination but more seriously because the truth blows a hole in Swamy’s credibility and places a permanent question mark on the quality (or lack of it) of his research. For the Congress, getting an answer to this prolonged tragedy is a manifesto commitment, nothing less; following is an extract from the 1999 Election Manifesto;

That Mr. Swamy is how serious the Congress is about the assassination of its leader. Persistently he claims that phone calls made from 10 Janpath have been traced to the homes of people operating for the LTTE. So are we to believe that the phones of opposition leaders are infact being tapped? Will the Home Ministry contradict its earlier stand and confirm whether this is true? It would be wise for readers to remember that Mr. Swamy himself is a man, who along with five others are individuals being monitored by the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency or MDMA, in this case. Furthermore, Mr. Swamy is advised to read up the Political Resolution adopted by the Congress Plenary in March this year in Bangalore, which states very clearly;

"The Congress, of course, accepts the verdict of the Courts on who actually participated in the deed of assassination, but it would like to place it on record that the unravelling of the conspiracy which led to this assassination is no less important. Those who are party to this dastardly act must be unmasked and visited with the consequences of the law of the land. The present government for reasons best known to her has adopted a path of non-cooperation and is creating obstructions in this regard………"

 

Mr. Swamy’s criticisms however come as no surprise after all the only factor he is "economical" with is truth itself. Do we need further evidence to prove that Mr Swamy, much to the grief of those in the press and media who readily grant him a few lines in their coverage, is a man who has made spiteful tittle-tattle his single means of climbing up the greasy pole and who, when he finds himself slipping downwards clings on to "informed gossip" and superficial truths. For those who are literary enthusiasts he is rather like Malvolio, from Twelfth Night; absurd in his utterance, pompous in his demeneaour, perverse in his intent and malicious in his manner, "Warring in Heav’n against Heavn’s matchless" Queen. Alas like so many before him, Dr Swamy too is politically culpable for not acknowledging the difference between being taken seriously by some and being seriously taken for a ride by so many. Unless he is more careful in future Dr. Swamy may find that it is he who is eventually left without a nationality.