GUILTY MEN

Summary

This March 5, 1965 editorial examines allegations of serious misconduct in Orissa during the administrations of Chief Ministers Biju Patnaik and Biren Mitra after the 1961 mid-term elections. It credits H. V. Kamath and other public-spirited individuals with forcing the issue into public view, while arguing that the Central Government and the Congress High Command acted reluctantly and primarily under political pressure. The editorial says that the Central Bureau of Investigation was not permitted to conduct a full investigation and instead relied on official files and explanations from the two ministers.

Key points

• The editorial discusses alleged misconduct under Biju Patnaik and Biren Mitra in Orissa.
• It credits H. V. Kamath and other public-spirited critics with bringing the allegations before the public.
• It criticises the Central Government and Congress High Command for responding reluctantly and under pressure.
• It argues that the Central Bureau of Investigation did not receive permission to conduct a full investigation.
• It describes the CBI’s findings as evidence of gross evasion of normal procedures in government purchasing.
• It alleges that public funds were systematically diverted to private ends benefiting companies in which the ministers or their families had substantial financial interests.
• It shifts the central issue from personal pecuniary benefit to the good faith of the Central Government and Congress leadership.
• It concludes that partisan protection of the ministers damaged standards of public conduct and left the government’s moral authority in office under serious doubt.