The tapes and public-politico jugalbandhi by Puneet Rajhans
Now this is an official confirmation coming from an official skyrocketed to the rank of Chairman who has sounded his concern and commotion on all that is happening and disappearing before us. The HDFC Chairman is known to speak his mind at a level not in variance with the mind of the establishment. The mind with which he spoke about the ruthlessness of the establishment to tap radia's phones for over two years was in complete variance with the minds he wanted to draw their attention to.
The two-year phone tap period he talked about was essentially a period when any layman can trip or stray; what to talk about radia or him. Considering the working conditions she worked under and the taxing deadlines she was pulled towards, the act of straying was inevitable. This growth story can't be allowed to fritter away under the assumption that this radia has frittered her chances to tap the potential the system offered as her tapes became too public to be brushed aside.
The sum and substance of his observation is that the growth story has suffered irreparable damage and to begin with the upheaval can be easily felt and heard. The beginning can be traced to the phone conversations which would now stand to be shaken. What to talk about intimate conversations even the official talks would be trimmed to the least desirable level and in most cases if possible avoided.
The tapping has set the stage for movers and shakers to lie low and let the sidestepped and non functioning government departments to secure a new lease of life. It also sets the stage for the postal department to get up and running and the amount of post they would be handling in the near and not so near future would be unimaginable. Since most phone conversations would cease to exist with all official and intimate communique to be done through post, with the ascent on the posts handled by the P&T department. Because posts sent through private courier would be subjected to checks and balances of unknown nature. Once the postal department would reach its peak, it would spell the premature greying of the cell operators and cell beneficiaries. The thrust to the telecom industry would be a thing of the past and so would be the advertising driven revenues which till now was having a blast.
As for the e mail factor this snooping has led a body blow to this form of communication as well.The same story would be true for other sectors as communication done through post would take its own sweet time leading to the decision to be taken spilling over to the next financial year.
The recruitment in the telecom and related sectors would fall to its lowest level and so would the urge of the corporates to hire lobbyists at an all-time low. Mind you we are not predicting the entire wipe out of the exercise. As for lobbyists and those hailing and hiring them would begin to disappear, the all powerful meeting ground, notably the five star property, would see cessation of activities. The room occupancy would fall to an all-time low and so would the footfalls at different malls and malls declared parking halls.
The multiplier effect would be truly and completely felt and with cessation of activities in all functioning areas of new economy there would be one institution that would remain truly and completely insulated. It is Indian Parliament with the same bench strength, same faces and same pit. After all democracy is the springboard which provides if not lifetime but occasional employment when panchayat, civic, assembly and parliament polls come and hold. As corporates see a clear and present danger to their establishment as tapping is one bold move that has set a precedent for similar moves to be made by bolder-than-believed government of the braves. So polls or no polls the politico-public jugalbandhiwould continue in the same untamed flavour. After all snooping is the power that the govt is blessed with to lend a new lease of life to its departments that have been lying idle and with no mandate.
