Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 5, 2013
URL: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-05/india/39041688_1_law-minister-ashwani-kumar-railway-minister-trinamool-congress

Hit by yet another corruption scandal, the Manmohan Singh government is staring at the possibility of two ministers - law minister Ashwani Kumar and railway minister Pawan Bansal - resigning in the face of an all-around opposition onslaught.

 As Congress assesses the damage, the Manmohan Singh government's political game-plan to end its tenure with a blaze of populist projects like food security and land compensation bills has received a hefty blow.

The embarrassing arrest of Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla for accepting bribes for a senior railway appointment can scupper the government's attempt to argue that while it is keen on legislating benefits for pro-aam aadmi, an obdurate opposition, led by BJP, was standing in the way by disrupting Parliament.

 The strategy to paint BJP as overly obsessed with issues like Coalgate and being out to garner political mileage was intended to put pressure on smaller opposition groups, but the Bansal saga will almost certainly ensure Parliament does not transact business next week.

 Scenting an opportunity to corner a wounded government, the opposition is raising the tempo on the CBI arresting Singla and also demanding Kumar's resignation for vetting a CBI report on Coalgate investigation.

 With both Bansal and Kumar looking vulnerable, the opposition is hoping to end the Budget session on May 10 with two trophies in the bag. This would further reduce UPA's already depleted political capital and fuel speculation about the government's ability to last its full term till April, 2014.

 "The Prime Minister must immediately seek the resignation of the railway minister. The bribe giver and taker have been caught. One is a nephew of Bansal who could not be unaware of what was happening," said BJP leader Prakash Javadekar.

 Congress media in-charge Janardan Dwivedi sought to counter the demand by saying the opposition was in the habit of demanding resignations and this has become a "disease".

 Although Congress seemed to back Bansal, at least for now, its response invited more opposition attacks with Javadekar wanting to know whether the ruling party intends to reward the railway minister for a job well done.

 Samwajwadi Party had a harsh word for Bansal too, with party general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha saying the minister must quit on moral grounds. CPM's Sitaram Yechury also sought the minister's resignation and Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien said the incident exposed the "retail bribery" in the UPA.

 The railway scandal threatens to reduce the feel good Congress is anticipating in the Karnataka poll where it looks set to trounce BJP and return to power. Resignations of the two Chandigarh politicians will certainly take some of the shine away.

 With Bansal showing no signs of putting in his papers, the opposition is certain to kick up a ruckus in Parliament when it meets on Monday unless the minister throws in the towel before that or is forced out of office by the Congress high command.

Congress will be left with no defence against the opposition onslaught as any ditherers in the non-UPA ranks will be silenced by the developments. Not only will the ruling party's hopes of passing crucial legislation be dashed, ramming through legislation will be seen as a thoroughly inappropriate action.

 Apart from the railway bribery scandal, the government has to contend with the CBI filing an affidavit before the Supreme Court listing the changes made by the law minister in its status report on the Coalgate investigation on Monday. Thereafter the court is to hear the case two days later.