R.D. Bharadwaj
A good cartoonist says so many things through the rough drawings of his cartoon pictures. Long articles can be written on these topics which he portrays by way of his caricatures. A cartoon in the English newspaper The Hindu dated the 3rd August, 2010, on Commonwealth Games 2010, is very good example of such a marvellous cartoonist, The Hindu has in the name of Mr. Keshav. The games are just two months away, but so far neither the stadiums are ready nor so many roads of Delhi, where debris are scattered here and there, besides leaving behind so many huge pits that are staring through the so many roads of Delhi. But one thing that has spearheaded very fast is the serpent of corruption, which has sprang its ugly fangs on at least 16 games projects, like a large number of mushrooms which suddenly crop-up during and after the rainy season in many villages.
Accordingly to a famous news channel, so far Rs. 83,000 crores has been spent on games and out of this amount, more than 1/3rd amount has been diverted /siphoned off by way of corruption / over-invoicing / other means of illegal gratification etc. by the big officers / politicians connected with these games. Prices of essential food commodities have simply gone beyond the reach of common people and have made their lives miserable, but these shameless people are busy minting money out of these games projects. It seems that financial irregularities have really out-grown the sporting events. For such people CWG are – Come-on-Wealth Games, i.e. a fast track medium of creating huge personal wealth by illegitimate means. Our players and athletes are not able to practice in those incomplete stadiums, then how can India hope to win medals ? But the top most irony of situation is that our PM, who is said to be a leader of a clean image, why he is keeping on a studied silence over the whole affair ? Why he does not react and come out openly on this entire ugly scenario which is certainly over-shadowing the fair name of the games. Such corrupt people are the traitors of the nation, why punitive actions are not being taken on them ? It should be born in mind that if even the PM does not react strictly and in a stern manner, it shall send wrong signals to other perverted minds to tend to make quick money by any means and plunder the wealth of the nation; as nobody is going to book you for such notorious activities. It also reveals that other than players and athletes of India, nobody is interested in games ……… then why such a gigantic expenditure at the cost of millions of poor Indians living below poverty line ??? Moreover, public outcry over this issue at various forums is genuine as the huge funds which are being used have been contributed by the tax-payers of India.
