There are many theories that are doing the rounds about the sudden exposé of illegal phone tapping that has brought the UPA government on the defensive. The one I found the most impressive goes like this: the Congress-led UPA government found itself neck-deep in the muck a tweet from Lalit Modi brought. One hundred and forty characters led to the toppling of Shashi Tharoor and eventually got cricket administrations bad boy Modi suspended.

But when the political czars realised that the stench would reach their doorsteps, they selectively ‘leaked’ details of a not-so-well-known government agency called the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and a Rs 7-crore gadget they was using to spy on everyone, even their own!

So now all the ‘investigative’ journalists have left Lalit Modi with his suspension papers and have turned their cameras on P Chidambaram (Modi can be covered anytime later and until then let him soak himself in a spa and probably clear his tracks. In the jamboree there has been a significant development which none of the 24X7 media seem to be picking – former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi has come out with some strong words criticising the three former captains who were mum at the IPL governing council meeting. He has asked for a total overhaul.)

With the second issue of the Outlook on phone tapping now on the stands it is clear that if at all the tapping issue was intended to be a smokescreen to blear the IPL controversy, it has served its purpose. The flip side is that the government is now working overtime to clear the air. The quicker it does the better it is.

It is worth noting that the government has not denied the existence of such technology which can be misused and the possibility of overhearing conversations of politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other people. However, all the leads point in one direction – M K Narayanan. He was the national security adviser when this “dangerous machine” was first demonstrated. He no longer is the NSA and is presently overseeing the functioning of communist West Bengal as its governor. (If any of you see a link between him being posted in the state and the fact that it goes to elections soon, it might be the hangover of the political drama you watched late last night on TV).

The post of an NSA in the democratic set-up that India is is rather tricky. The NSA is not a democratically elected member and thus is not answerable to the people. He is appointed by the prime minister. It is doubtful if he will be held responsible and be answerable if the phone tapping charges are proved. A question that lingers in my mind is: In the absence of the NSA being questioned and if the charges lead to him, could we turn to the prime minister for answers as he is the person who appointed the NSA?

On the other hand, if the phone tapping issue seems to go the IPL way, we can expect another controversy to overshadow this. I am sure of this because of two counts.

First, in India there is never a want of controversies or scams – right from the food we eat (sugar scam) to the food meant for animals (fodder scam), from the tangible (bulletproof vest scam) to the intangible (spectrum scam), from scams involving human trafficking (living beings) to coffin scams (dead bodies).

Secondly, more importantly and a bit cynically, in independent India when was the last time a tainted minister or public figure soaked in muck was sent to the darkest of cells in Tihar Jail or the gallows?