Kapil Sibal gets going, but he has miles to go

Much like his senior colleague Pranab Mukherjee, Kapil Sibal is emerging as the Congress party’s ‘go-to’ man when it finds itself in trouble. And in keeping with that trust, the newly-appointed Union telecom minister is trying to prove that the government means business when it comes to sorting out the 2G spectrum allocation mess.

Sibal has announced four moves which are clear attempts to redeem this government. Show-cause notices have been issued to 85 licence-holders, Swan Telecom has been referenced to the ministry of corporate affairs to investigate if it is a front, notices have been sent to 119 licence-holders who have not rolled out any services yet, and an attempt has been made to calculate the exact amount of money which has been lost in these spectrum allocations.

Given the Congress’s refusal to consider the Opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee to investigate the scam, Sibal’s damage control can only go so far. The mess around 2G spectrum allocations is enough to stretch the credibility of even the most gullible. The extent of the corruption and the reach of corporate lobbyists into the system demand a clean-up which goes beyond show-cause notices and investigations.

The United Progressive Alliance government has to be careful to ensure that it does not try to obfuscate the issue with endless inquiries and false promises. It is more than possible that such tactics, which were par for the course in the past, will no longer work. The public is not keen on one more investigation that meanders into nowhere.

This is not just because we have a more alert citizenry who may no longer tolerate being fooled repeatedly, but more because there is a dire need to cleanse the system. It’s also not about just honesty and goodness: when corruption and malfeasance rise to such levels, economic efficiency goes for a toss. There is already a visible scramble to save the corporate sector and Indian business from the mud being flung around — and it’s not just about Ratan Tata’s efforts to squash the Niira Radia tapes. Politicians have started talking about how important corporates are for India’s growth. This is not a valid argument when the clean-up has just begun.

Sibal has built up a reputation as a man with good ideas and excellent talking skills. He now needs to show us that he is a who puts his money where his mouth is. Or, more accurately, tells us where our money went.