Quick Edit | Desperate claims

The United Progressive Alliance government’s utter mismanagement of the economy, its lack of political and administrative acumen, and allegations of rampant corruption against its senior functionaries are legion.

Yet, no one had—until Saturday—levelled charges of corruption against the Prime Minister. On that day, Team Anna did so. This they did on the basis of a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General in which serious losses to the exchequer due to improper allocation of coal blocks were reported. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in charge of the coal ministry during the period of allegations.

This is nothing but crass sensationalism. Legally, there is a huge gap between claims of losses and the fact that a minister has made corrupt gains in the process. The burden of proof has to be substantially higher, and the team has not been able to prove this link. These allegations betray a sense of desperation and nothing more.