Ripun Borah episode and its significance
— Dr Akhil Ranjan Dutta
The education Minister of Assam, Ripun Bora was arrested on June 3, 2008 in New
Delhi in the alleged case of bribing a CBI official. It happened in a dramatic
way. The euphoria of the successful completion of two years in power of the
Tarun Gogoi-led BPPF government in Assam that celebrated the anniversary on May
25, 2008 was not yet over. The opposition was virtually put into a state of mum
by the Government with series of sops announced on the eve of the anniversary
and also the subsequent announcement of the constitution of the New Pay
Commission under the chairmanship of Bhaskar Baruah. The middle class,
particularly the salaried section in the State was virtually forgetful of the
high inflation and insecurity arising out of it amidst the announcements like
increase of DA to 97 per cent and an interim relief fund of 10 per cent of the
basic pay till the new Pay Commission comes up with its recommendations. To be
precise, the Government was in a safer
side despite its failure on almost all fundamental duties like law and order
and also rendering the very basic services to the people. The North Cachar
Autonomous Council episode unfolded and ended without attracting wrath of the
public despite the dirty game played by the autonomous council and that of the
State government around the issue of massacre carried out by the DHD (J),
popularly known as the Black Widow. The sensation created by the resignation of
the Gauhati University Vice-Chancellor Prof Amarjyoti Choudhury and the
subsequent act of taking over charge of the University administration by the
Chancellor, the Governor of Assam Ajai Singh was also slowing down. As
instructed by the Chief Minister, the Ministers were busy in bringing out huge
and costly advertisements in the newspapers and electronic media focusing on
the success stories of the respective ministries. There was no public
initiative to scrutinise the tall and false claims. Tarun
Gogoi, encircled by the most trusted trio – Himanta Biswa Sarmah, Rockybul
Hussain and Ripun Borah and his best smile in face roaming around through big
hoardings and colourful advertisements.
It was amidst these happy moments that one of the trio within the Tarun Gogoi
Ministry Ripun Borah, the Education Minister of the State, was caught in broad
daylight by CBI while bribing one of its officials. As reported, the intention
behind the bribing was to escape from the alleged involvement of Borah in the
murder of his political rival Daniel Topno at his constituency in Gohpur in
2000. Two others, one businessman and a news paper reporter were also arrested
in the same case. People have known and heard about corruption and bribing of
many public officials including the ministers. But a minister bribing a cbi
official was something extraordinary that people hardly can imagine. The
episode reminds us about the increasing vulnerability of political institutions
and political competition. Therefore, it is pertinent to read the whole episode
critically from relevant political angles.
The incident of bribing of a CBI official underscores the almost confirmed
involvement of Ripun Borah in the Daniel Topno murder case. If it really had
happened then we are surely back into a state of feudal barbarism in political
competition. We can no longer be complacent of the fact that such barbarism is
a monopoly of Northern India – the homelands of feudalism. It also underscores
the fact that the line between political competition and political revenge
resulting in political murder is becoming extremely thin.
The rare adventure of bribing a CBI official by a minister signifies the gross
vulnerability of political and public institutions in Assam. Within the trio of
the Tarun Gogoi ministry Ripun Borah was perceived as relatively clean,
transparent and less corrupt. But, a minister handling the Education portfolio
and coming out open to challenge a Vice-Chancellor of a University forcing him
to resign was supposed to have some political ethics and morality. A minister,
who used to sit in the offices of the Directorate of Education at Kahilipara,
Guwahati at least once a week with proclaimed intention of doing away with
corruption, has now proved to be a big drama. It could now be well understood
that he was rather patronising corruption to earn extra money to bribe others
whenever and wherever necessary to sustain his political show. Unfortunately
Ripun Borah is not alone in this mission. Most of us are involved directly or
indirectly in the mission undertaken
by Ripun Borah. It is an open secret that the college teachers are forced to
give bribes to the officials at Directorate of Higher Education for receiving
approval of appointments, confirmation of appointments and also financial
approval.
This episode has also unfolded the myth of ‘simplicity’; ‘fairness’ and
‘transparency’ in social and political dealings of the Chief Minister of the
State. It is hardly difficult to understand that a Chief Minister encircled by
corrupt political managers cannot be non-corrupt and transparent. Ripun Borah
must have bribed the Assam Police and the Chief Minister’s Vigilance cell with
knowledge and permission of the Chief Minister. The sanctity of the office of
the Chief Minister and the departments under him are now under eyes of big
public suspect.
The reliability and credibility of the fourth estate of democracy i.e. media
will now be questioned more after the Ripun Borah episode where a journalist
from a reputed news paper played the key role in mediating the act of bribing.
It is high time that the media itself follows the norms of journalism including
salary and other allowances and develop strict internal vigilance over the
movement and activities of its own staff. Nexus between politicians and media
could result in the sort of devastation that people are afraid even of
imagining.
The role of the opposition has been most disappointing during the past few
years. It was all in silence when people have been suffering from high price
rise in essential commodities and other problems arising out of the
mal-governance at different fronts. Series of corruption have been exposed
through RTI. But the opposition preferred to take recourse in silence. May be
more use of it will dig their graves too. There has been no plan on the part of
the opposition to encircle the government around these failures in the ensuing
interim burget session. Suddenly they have picked up the Ripun Borah episode
and is creating a hue and cry. There is an apprehension that the government
will convert this crisis into an opportunity by diverting people’s attention
from failure in governance to ‘one man episode’ where the government has done
its very basic responsibility by dropping him from the ministry.
The important question that we need to ask is whether the Ripun episode is an
isolated incident altogether. It is certainly not. This is a product of a
particular historical and political setting that we have been put into. It is a
moment where everything is considered as commodity and the sanctity of
political or public institutions is hardly respected. This is indeed the gift
of the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the Indian state for around two
decades now. Under this neo-liberal regime the government no longer remains a
public institution and public affairs respectively. It is under these
circumstances that we are gradually transiting back to barbaric feudalism in
new forms and styles both in personal and public affairs. Therefore it is a
structural crisis that we are confronting today. Solution to the crisis will
also invite structural changes. It now depends on how do we plan and act for
such a structural change.
(The writer is a Reader in Peace and Conflict Studies in the Department of
Political Science, Gauhati University).
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