Kash Patel, an irrepressible campaigner, author and confidant of President Donald Trump,finally gets approval of the US Senate to lead the key American investigation agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
During the same period, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi successfully imposes his one of the cronies, Gyanesh Kumar, as the chief election commissioner (CEC). It is considered, the ruling party’s bid for seeking an institutional support for preventing its further political decline. It, perhaps, could have been inspired by the rulers of Pakistan, where the election commission is often accused of rigging and manipulating elections.
It, however, may be recalled that a few years ago, the present ruling establishment had ensured removal of one of the election commissioners, Ashok Lavasa, respected for his uprightness, before he could be elevated to the position of the CEC.
Lavasa, according to the political whispers in the capital, had to be eased out from the commission, before he could be elevated for the coveted position of the CEC. The decision of his removal was immaculately planned to be accompanied by the time-tested trick of implicating his family members, wife Noel, or son, or both, in some cooked up income tax enquiry. Lavasa had faced the anger of the ruling establishment for taking cognizance of the violation of the election code or norms, also following the reports of the recovery of huge unaccounted money from the ruling party.
In Washington, breathtaking political battle was being witnessed this week, when finally Kash Patel succeeded in obtaining clearance of the US Senate. Interestingly, two Senators of the ruling Republican Party, Lisa Murkowaski (Alaska) and Susan Collins of Maines, defected to the opposition. They voted against him.
It, however, has made Kash Patel, more assertive. He not only has promised to trigger off the process of cleansing the investigation agency, but he has also stated that he would be assisting Krishti Noem, who has already got clearance from the Senate to become Homeland Security Secretary.
The Democrats, including some Republicans, are apprehensive that Patel would now soon be expediting the investigations regarding their corruption and also would be exposing the child sex trafficking. This crime was pioneered by Jeffrey Epsttein in New York having the blessings of eminent politicians like Bill Clinton, a former American president and other prominent Americans.
As soon as his name was ratified in the Senate, Patel promised Senator, Marsha Blackburn, that he would not allow any further delay in booking the criminals, including prominent American politicians, to face the consequences for luring young teenage girls for submitting to their sexual desires, violating and exploiting them.
Ignoring Parliamentary Conventions
In India, the much-acclaimed invincibility of the ruling BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi suffered partial political eclipse in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. The BJP had not only failed to obtain a majority in 543-strong House with just 240 seats, it also abandoned the process of electing Modi as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary party before being declared the leader to lead a coalition government. Instead, Modi promptly formed an alliance under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and after being declared the leader of the NDA, he got his name ratified in the BJP Parliamentary Party as the new leader. Modi, however, chose to ignore the established parliamentary practice. He didn’t care to adhere to the established convention that he should have tendered
resignation after losing the majority in the House. Later, he should have explored the possibility of setting up a minority government with allies. However, the reluctance of Modi in adhering to the democratic norms has amused the political pundits in India as well as in other political capitals; but his yearning to cling to power has even hurt a large number of the 240 MPs of the ruling BJP, including the 100 members facing criminal charges such as muder and rape in different Indian courts. Their legitimacy is under the cloud despite the support of the mainline news channels indulging in false propaganda regarding the narrative of the USD 21 millions propaganda for ousting a section of the American deep state to get BJP defeated. In fact, seeking full details regarding it, the Indian channels are quoting President Donald Trump without explaining the context.
Before being elected the leader of his parliamentary party, Modi successfully stitched a coalition by luring the Telugu Desam, Janata Dal (U) and a section of the Shiv Sena under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA); thus ensuring his support for his minority government.
The Strategy
Earlier, Modi had ensured that the role of the Chief Justice of India in the selection of the election commissioner should be ended, and for this he got a new law enacted and invoked it before it could face judicial scrutiny in the apex court.
Under this new legislation, he expedited the appointment process by selecting the new incumbent just a day before the hearing on this issue before the Supreme Court of India.
On the other hand, Kash Patel finally succeeded in getting the approval of the US senate in a keenly contested voting. He was confirmed for the top position for a 10-year tenure with a slim margin getting just 51 votes in a 100-member Senate.
In India, the executive is also busy diluting the laws for ensuring transparency and accountability of the system. On the other hand, in the US, the FBI and the Homeland Security would soon be initiating vigorous campaigns against Sextortion, which has increased by 700 percent in recent years. Since in this crime a number of top Americans, including politicians, tycoons like Bill Gates and Robert Murdoch, have figured for being close to Jeffrey Epsttein, the mastermind behind this crime, the concerned authorities didn’t take strong measures.
According to the information available, they used to enjoy his hospitalities and had travelled in his private jet with pretty teen-age girls to his islands and luxury hotels. Later, Jeffrey Epsttein was found guilty and convicted, but before he could complete his jail term, he was found dead in a New York jail. It, however, goes to the credit of Modi that he ensured that Lavasa peacefully migrates to the Asian Development Bank.The income tax enquiry was also quietly dropped following the reports that the supporters of Lavasa might release the offshore investments of the leaders of the ruling party.
In the US, the Trump Administration is full of vigour. It is hoped that in coming weeks, more political fireworks could be witnessed in the US and India.
Gopal Misra has been associated with national and international media. His books on journalism and geo-politics have been well-appreciated. Views are personal.
