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IPL has exemplified the 'we can do it' attitude, the glamour and the aggressiveness that 'India' aspired to, and the success that 'India' dreamed of. IPL has exemplified the rapid growth of the event as much as it has exemplified the rapid economic growth of India measured by number of billionaires and CEOs. IPL had become the place to be for the who's who of cricket - just like India has become the place to be of all who have money to be invested. As the scandal around IPL is unearthed, it perhaps is also an appropriate exemplification of the dirt under India Shining.

 

In its hurry to be successful, IPL was willing to cut corners and do away with all the checks and balances. It was willing to thrust aside processes that would ensure that there was no mishandling of finances, transparency that would ensure the accountability and absence of corruption. As the scandal is being dissected by government agencies, the institutions of cricket as well as those of the government are quick to point out that the problem was Mr. Lalit Modi. They point to his aggressive personality that put off other people, to his being quick in making commitments and getting things going. Mr. Modi has become the fall guy for all.

 

But in fact, the IPL did embody the climate of India Shining in these ways too. The cutting of corners, the putting aside of processes that ensure checks and balances has been the attributes of the governments of India in the last decade. In fact, the casting aside of transparency, the lack of due process and accountability have been the basis of India Shining. Lalit Modi was only an individual who flowered in that environment.While the leadership of IPL must be investigated, it would be foolish to assume the problem solved while the inherent structure and culture remain intact. The same with India.

 

The lack of transparency and the changing of rules to grow quickly has been the basis of policy making for over a decade now. All arms of the government - legislative, judiciary and executive- have played their roles in building this culture. Think of the re-interpretation of Schedules 5 and 6 of the constitution allowing for private companies to take over tribal land. Think of the complete absence of accountability in Enron projects. Think of disregard to judicial orders and statements from the central government that communities displaced by projects would be settled and rehabilitated before the projects went ahead. Think of state governments tacitly supporting armed militia to push people out of their land so that companies could take over. Think about the government attempting to enact a nuclear liability bill that holds the company liable for accidents at value lower than the cost of the Union Carbide accident in Bhopal. Think about a ministry attempting to create a law (as with the policy on Genetically Modified foods) where any difference of opinion can be used to arrest you (by claims that they are not scientific). Think about changing guidelines on the Environmental Impact Assesment processes. Think about government agencies charging political dissidents with the most draconian laws to stop political dissidence that is inconvenient. Think about governments and departments attempting to change Right to Information clauses to block transparency in their actions. Think about multiple cases of corruption where whistleblowers have been killed but the judiciary has imprisoned small fry and the government continues to ignore laws protecting whistleblowers. Think about governments continuing to destroy slums and slum communities while land mafia continues to control land and land pricing in various metropolis. Think about the Indian Premier League.

 

In all of the above cases, money has followed routes that are not transparent. In fact, policies have been developed to help money flow through these routes, under the guise of helping greater foreign investment in India. In all of these cases, the details of transactions have been non-transparent. In all of these cases, various individuals in position of power have had relationships and associations that were in conflict of interest. While Shashi Tharoor has been thrown to the wolves for his role with the Kochi franchise, others much more powerful such as Mr Chidambaram has been a director of Vedanta, Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been a long time employee of the World Bank (and is alleged to have held both the roles for a few years).

 

 

In all of these cases, the short cuts, the 'deals', the incentives have been the basis of the rapid growth of 'India Shining'. To achieve this, checks and balances as well as democratic processes have been discarded. As a result, 'leaders' of our country - the political elite - are gambling with resources of the country as well as the rights and livelihoods of people. After all, the only way to provide access to trillions of dollars of minerals to POSCO, or Tata or Vedanta at minimal amounts of royalty requires displacement of those who live there. If violence is required to do so - so be it and never mind their rights to life. To say that this is an exception is naive if not complicit. A former Chief Minister of Jharkand - in tenure for a mere two years - was able to allegedly receive kickbacks in the tune of USD 425 million. This could not be an exception - there has to be system in place to allow for this. And the only 'value' he could bring in return in a poverty stricken mineral rich state was mining rights. While the media and the political system has continued to condemn his involvement, no questioned were asked whether the policies of his government were sabotaged. Another reason to believe that the problems are systemic and part of the 'India Shining' campaign.

 

While IPL has been the face of 'India Shining', Lalit Modi is thus also an example of what will happen to those who fall. There will be no systemic critique - as we saw with Satyam. There will be no attempt to reorganize the system. There will be some glossing over the dirt, some polishing to take off the stains, some changes in names and committees and off we go again. The players and media of IPL will continue to rake in their money - a little less next year but bick bucks once we forget the scandal. Unfortunately for those who deal the dirt under 'India Shining', who are affected by the breakdown of democratic processes, of short cuts (all in the name of ending 'red tape'), there will be no change. The state will continue to oppress without any accountability as the masters rake in their millions.

 
The long term solution for IPL lies in a restructured organization that is transparent. For the country and the state, it also needs a culture that values civil rights.

 

- Sanat Mohanty