Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha
Photo by author
Photo by author
Political patronages to corrupt and hardcore criminals, choosing them as party candidates to fight the election and inducting them in politics started gaining prominence. The country has seen ex dacoits, culprits and hoodwinkers as lawmakers who get police security at the cost of public exchequer.
The incidence is not novel. The nation has witnessed many scams, corruption cases and related legal battles in past. There were cases involving scams in the defence deal, coal scam, spectrum distribution and so on. The list is long. Presently, a person who was holding a constitutional post has been implicated in money extortion through police. The incumbent minister represents people’s faith, expectations and aspirations. He takes an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution. His integrity ought to be unquestionable. The breach of trust is serious. Clean and effective leadership is key to efficient functioning and proper delivery. Corruption at the highest level corrupts the whole system and sinks it deep down in the cesspool. Constitutional machinery, the linchpin of the system, becomes a horrible cannibalistic tool when the key functionaries enter in nexus with criminally minded people to extract money by unfair and illegal means. It shatters the mass confidence leading to an anarchic situation. It is good that an unbiased CBI enquiry has been ordered by the court which would bring the facts to light and culprits to the book.
The ailment of corruption is age-old and related to the individual psyche but the degree is controllable. Thinking about a corruption-free society, however, is a utopia. Considering it a potential threat to society and its functioning, corruption has since long been considered an offence. It has been viewed with disdain and people involved in it were considered criminal and penalized as per the law of time. Even today, some countries observing medieval feudal laws have stringent punishment provisions for proven guilty of corruption including amputations and/or blinding.
People are taught since their childhood about the merits of honesty, dedication and sanctimony. They are expected to observe honesty since it was the best policy. Punishing and penalizing petty offenders and patronizing powerful criminals is discriminatory. Finding high profile criminals who are neck-deep in corruption roaming scot-free, people feel cheated and bewildered. It adversely affects security, safety and public order leading to chaos.
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India, as we all know, is a multi-religious, multilingual nation with diverse culture and customs. One thing which runs like a silver line is the feeling of one unison. It comes from the organic thought process of nationalism. Every Indian feel and own with proud in their nationality. Despite that country was vivisected on religious grounds followed by cataclysmic conflagrations, arson and massacre which led thousands to transmigrate from their soil, people wanted a society wherein everyone could get one's legitimate due as per their share and labour. We adopted a constitution and declared ourselves a democratic, secular and socialistic republic. After seven and half decades, in 2022, the nation would be celebrating the diamond jubilee of freedom. It is time to look back, introspect and evaluate our system and achievements vis a vis our goals and delivery.
People while getting freedom have had aspirations. They wished to have a society free from oppression, discrimination, exploitation and disparity. Committed themselves to the cause of peaceful coexistence both in-house and in the matter of external affairs, people yearned for a fair and corruption-free system of their own. Have people’s aspirations fulfilled? Let us descry the incidences.
People saw the gradual waning of systemic authority. The helpless and sometimes timid state was seen as ambivalent. Most decisions were heavily lopsided because of the corrupt practices and parochial motives. At the start, it was veiled but with time progressively gained prominence and now has occupied the centre stage. Corruption is not only about taking a bribe or monetary favour but it resides in the mind and thoughts as well. It, percolating down to the psyche and thought process, becomes disastrous. History testifies that empires were felled down because of this menace.
Political patronages to corrupt and hardcore criminals, choosing them as party candidates to fight the election and inducting them in politics started gaining prominence. The country has seen ex dacoits, culprits and hoodwinkers as lawmakers who get police security at the cost of public exchequer. Not only this, they take part in voting on vital issues and participate in law-making activities in parliament. Some of them, though, have been acquitted but most of them are convicted with cases pending against them in serious sections of law books.
Corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and police personnel are not in singularity. The increasing numbers of elected members having criminal records point out this stark reality. "The Hindu" in its 26 May 2019 edition had reported that 43% of newly-elected Lok Sabha MPs had a criminal record, that is, about half the number of elected members are tainted. The trend has seeped into services as well. The involvement of the members of bureaucracy in corrupt practices is increasing exponentially. The magnitude is such that those who want to play fair are sidelined, frequently transferred or punished in frivolous charges. In reply to a question asked in Lok Sabha, Mr Jitendra Singh Minister of State for Personnel said in the House that a total of 753 complaints were received against the IAS officers in 2019-20 and 643 in 2018-19. The number has progressively increased from 380 in 2015-16 to 623 in 2017-18. The number of corruption cases is on rising in every other All India Service cadres including IPS. The waning premier services, considered to be the backbone of Indian bureaucracy, is the testimony of the decaying system.
The frequent whimsical transfers of government officers had since long been an open secret. It had taken as a source of easy money and a way to mint money by all concerned. It is rather a state policy. Despite having a perennial detailed transfer policy, the industry (!) used to mint money, flouting the norms and taking advantage of the saving clause.
The growing corruption in electoral politics is the outcome of lust for power. The candidates used to pump money in the process to get votes. The illegitimate money was used in bribing people and the system. The inflow of money has had a system of funding circulated in the system created the notion of development. The use of money and muscle power vitiated the whole system, affected the works. The rampant corruption not only ails but also gnaws away the legitimate right of genuine beneficiaries as well. Thanks to the Election Commission of India and The Supreme Court which put up hurdles in the path of galloping corruption in electoral politics. A lot more still to be done.
The nation pays the cost of corruption dearly. It reflects in every walks of life. Irregularities in government constructions, medical facilities and tangential favour to private hospitals are among several such examples. It hits hard to not so well off people.
In ongoing state elections of Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Pudducherry, corruption figured prominently. Words 'Tolabaazi' and 'Cut Money' has frequently been used to expose the degree of corruption in the government machinery. It was institutionalized, and the musclemen of local political parties were press in to collect illicit money. It hinders the development prospects of the country. Late Sri Rajeev Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, had pointed it out in 1985. Speaking in Kalahandi, he had said that of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reached the poor. It had been the degree of corruption.
Electoral politics rely on votes. In a country like India that is vast, populated and diversified it is an uphill task to have a unitary system of elections. The election process is vast and lengthy. The political parties, vying for votes, try every tact to garner votes and seats. In the rat race, they try to catch hold of every opportunity to win a seat. They prefer candidates who can win by their qualities of religion, caste, money or muscle power. Ostensibly, money or muscle power is a clear winner of the race. The desired or able candidate loses the battle, and thus corruption goes on.
Who will bell the cat, then? The onus is onto us. It is strife, nay, armageddon. The war against corruption is tedious but not difficult to win. Determined WE THE PEOPLE would win it.
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