”Bhushans get two prime farmhouse plots from Mayatwati govt for a song” said the headline of Indian Express on 20/4/2011.
What song? Munni badnam hui? Sheela ki jawani? Dum maro dum? Did Bhushans sing the song in front of Mayawati?
The cost of the plot is Rs.3.5 crore. At the time of allotment 35 lakh rupees were to be paid. The rest to be paid in 16 instalments over 10 years. Is 3.5 core rupees a small amount? If it is less than quarter of the market rate what is the market rate? Sometimes the campaign against someone has motives other than exposing the wrongdoing. As Dom Moraes wrote in his book the campaign against Abdul Rahman Antulay was because Ramnath Goenka did not get cement.
As Elliot Carver said in Tomorrow Never Dies: The most important question is not what, where or when. It is why.
Why did the report appear? The CD failed to get the Bhushans out of the drafting committee. This was another attempt. By the way Elliott Carver was a newspaper owner. He tried his best to China and England fight a war. He did not succeed and had a watery grave.
Then came the report that the government owned Central Forensic Science Laboratory found the CD not tampered with. This contradicted report from Truth Labs which had held the CD was tampered with. Truth Labs stood by its report.
Nobody from Indian Express appeared on Karan Razdan’s Last Word on CNN-IBN on 22/4/2011.
According to a poll 65% of people want Bhushans to stay in the committee. They see the attacks on Bhushans as an attempt to derail the Lokpal Bill. Somebody has filed a PIL against notification of formation of drafting committee of Lokpal Bill. Somebody has filed a PIL against Anna Hazare. Santosh Hegde is considering quitting the Lokpal Bill panel. The targeting of activists will not stop if Bhushans quit and others take their place.