I n his address to the nation on Friday on the situation arising out of the Tehelka disclosures, the prime minister spoke in two voices. In the earlier part of the address he came close to echoing the position taken by numerous other spokespersons on behalf of the government and the ruling NDA, casting doubt on the motivations of those responsible for giving currency to the allegations against the government and emphasising the alleged threat to the country’s security and economic stability as a result. “Many a country has been destabilised by such gales”, as he put it. Towards the end of his speech, however, the prime minister struck a more reflective, non-partisan note. He said: “In an important sense, what has come into view goes beyond security; the ease with which persons posing as arms merchants gained access to our defence personnel and politicians shows how far the cancer has spread”.
