Clean Chit Day

The National Democratic Alliance has been Feeling Good for some time. On Wednesday, they started Feeling Clean too.

NDA convener and Union Defence Minister George Fernandes got a clean chit in the defence deals cases, which are being wrongly touted as a clean chit in the Tehelka case.

There has been no clear verdict in the Tehelka case yet. The Phukan Commission was asked, along with the Tehelka scandal, to probe into the defence deals since the year 1991.

George got a clean chit in those deals. But when the country is in election mode, any chit is a hit.

Rajiv Gandhi got a clean chit in the Bofors case. Alas, he is not here to see this day.

A clean chit to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on pesticides in cola has said that the major colas — made by Pepsi and Coke — did indeed have pesticides as reported by the CSE.

It said the cola companies were lying when they said they follow Euro norms. And that CSE was right in calling cola companies liars.

May the Bofors not be with you!
The godliness of cleanliness rubbed off on the Opposition Congress too, whose president Sonia Gandhi’s late husband got a belated clean chit. The Delhi high court has cleared former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Rs 64-crore Bofors payoff case.

The late Mr Gandhi is known as the man who sowed the seeds of telecom and IT revolution in India. Successive governments have reaped the harvest, while Gandhi was discredited in his life and even after death. He paid the price of the alleged kickbacks paid to some unknown people by the Swedish company AB Bofors, which sold Bofors field guns to India. The guns have proven their worth and served the India well in the heights of Kargil in 1999.

In defence of the minister
George Fernandes, even his detractors say, is not a corrupt man. He had one of the cleanest socialist slates until he joined the NDA.

But since the journalists of Tehekla said they had paid money to people at Mr Fernandes’ house, Mr Fernandes’ clean khadi attire had dark patches of doubtful integrity. His house, at that time, was literally an open house. Anybody could walk in and walk out at any hour.

But no body believed him. The Opposition parties boycotted him in Parliament. He was not allowed to speak on issues related to his ministry. He suffered and would continue to suffer for these spots are very stubborn. He however must be feeling cleaner as he faces the people in the coming Lok Sabha election.

Run Cola Run!
“The committee are of the view that CSE findings are correct on the presence of pesticide residues in carbonated water in respect of three samples each of 12 brand products of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola analysed by them... (we) would conclude that CSE stands corroborated on its finding pesticide residues in carbonated water,” said the JPC report titled Pesticide Residues In And Safety Standards for Soft Drinks, Fruit Juices and Other Beverages.

The JPC has asked the government to set guidelines for all these products. The makers of these drinks say they don’t mix pesticides in their drinks but it comes from the water.

Their logic is that India has no guidelines for pesticides in water. Drinking water, including the most bottled brands, has pesticides above the permissible limit.

It’s time we have our own rules. And what on earth is a permissible limit of pesticides? Come on. We cannot permit pesticides in our drinks.