From corruption to transparency: Strife to Move from Murk to Limpid

Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha
                                                                             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.

Recent incidences in the country have thrown many quizzes on a custom (?) which albeit was apparent but accepted as a way of life by the people. Mingled with the social fabric, it was gradually being institutionalized. Considered a good evil, it is the corruption that ailed the society but could not be contained and people have obstreperously accepted it. One more link was added to the chain. Maharastra Home Minister Mr Anil Deshmukh resigned from the office on 05-April-2021, on the pretext of moral grounds but in reality on the grounds of corruption charges. He resigned following the Hon’ble High Court’s order of CBI enquiry on a petition filed by Ex-Police Commissioner Mumbai, Mr Parambir Singh. Hon’ble High Court order and the resignation has opened a Pandora’s Box, besides disturbing the hornet’s nest.

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.

 

Majestic Dome of Vidhan Sabha
Picture by Author

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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Social Media: Boon or Bane

Recently, Social Media attracted eyeballs. The alleged biased attitude of Facebook, famous social networking site was in the eyes of the storm. The government was charged for ostensibly misusing the platform for their selfish motive. The issue raised a furore. Government and the ruling party were under heavy shelling of opposition. Heated arguments and counter-arguments put forth about the Social Media platform. Ironically, the mainstream media which obtain their substantial quota of scoops from Social Media were the front-runners in the race of scathing.  

The present time is an era of information. The society is running on information superhighway wherein delivering and receiving contents is fast, secure and on a real-time basis.  It has opened up an entirely new vista. Like Hide Park of England, it is a platform where anyone can vent out oneself. Till recently unaccustomed to such freedom, people seem bewildered and startled. Know not how to use it effectively, they are experimenting in rather a different way. More often than not, people are using the new technology ludicrously not the way it should be. Though misused, social media has helped to unearth many hitherto unknown facts.

With computers getting smaller, lighter, powerful and easy to carry the content production, their upload and retrieval have also become fast and convenient. The Smart-phone technology has augmented the spread of Social Media by shortening the cumbersome process of content creation, processing and transmission to a great extent. The reduced data cost has added its share in the exponential growth of Social Media Platform. 

Social media has emerged as a powerful tool. With the army of individual users, it becomes all the more powerful. It helps to reach a large number of audiences and affect their viewpoints. Political parties use it for canvassing and proliferation of their ideas. Various media houses find it easy to promote their medium and get large viewership. In the recent past, it was grossly misused for rumour and hate-mongering to disrupt public order and creating anarchy as well. Albeit it is difficult to ignore the ever-evolving social media platform, but it needs to be regulated by law. 

A convoluted society like ours is a motley aggregation of people where every individual has something to say. Asking questions is the key to a free and frank society where every citizen has the right to express their views guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India and Section 10 of The Human Rights Act 1998. People, however, tend to thrust their views onto others which culminates in a heated discussion. Such is the hardening of attitude that they behave like a bigot and intolerant. To make an argument heavy(?), use of abusive language is becoming frequent. It is unacceptable in a civilized society. However, it is not only so-called Social Media which is to be blamed, increased acrimony and use of choicest words on TV debates are also gaining currency. Unexpectedly, TV channels promote filthy languages and loose-talks apparently for their TRPs. The deterioration in quality is frequent and rampant. 

A healthy discussion is an indication of sound knowledge, and a deep understanding of the topic panellists have. It is, therefore, imperative that the participants adhere to those qualities. Lopsided and unfounded arguments cause infuriation. At times during the discussion, commotion and a tug-of-war like situation occur among the panellists. Nevertheless, it does not give a person to use offensive language. The discussions would be decent and fruitful only when the arguments are courteously put forth, respecting sentiments of all. Contrarily, a steep decline in the quality of debates on TV and social media platform is becoming recurrent. It affects daily lives as well. 

The growing resentment against the social media platform is because of the increasing verbal duets, use of abusive language and unwillingness of participants for a mic drop.  People are part of society. The individual behaviour affects society in general. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the individual to use this technology judiciously. With logical concept-formation buttressed by reasoning and observing restrain, the use of social media can be made more effective. 

Pandemic Coronavirus, Lockdown and Exodus

Penniless, without food and means with their fatigued children in their laps or shoulders, they were not passeggiating but sauntering for survival. Rustic men, women and children were seen walking en masse on the highways. Stupefied but determined, they had a sole aim in their minds. They wanted to reach home in their villages far away from their workplaces where they had come to earn a livelihood. 

Soon after the lockdown was enforced in wake of Coronavirus pandemic, panic gripped the migratory population of labourers. Their jobs were lost and livelihood had gone. It is the class of people who earn their bread daily. Losing jobs meant a lot; it left them in a lurch. Caught in a piquant situation, they had to choose between the devil and the deep sea. In the crisis, employers abandoned them. They were sacked as there was no work for them. Left with no succedaneum, they decided to return to their home. It was spontaneous. Rumours fuelled the fear for their lives and uncertainty of the future. Parochial motives of local politics catalyzed the fear. Unexpected hostile conditions forced them to return. The result first came in the form of large aggregation in Anand Vihar at New Delhi. It was followed by several other such occurrences which soon became torrent. 

Millions of poor people, mainly from Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, migrate to other states in search of jobs and a better future. These are the rainfed areas with agriculture as the prime occupation. Reeling under severe conditions, low income, high crime rate and caste discrimination, the Hindi heartland could provide them with no better future. Once known for industries and hub of handicrafts, the state of Uttar Pradesh gradually slipped to oblivion. Districts like Jagdeeshpur, Kanpur, Meerut, Aligarh lost their industries. The large workforce became unemployed. The constricting land holdings, uncertain weather, perennial floods, local conditions and lack of alternate job opportunities compounded the problems and force the youths to migrate. Leaving their families behind, the people travelled thousands of kilometres to states like Maharastra, Gujrat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. 

The migrant workers, mostly unskilled, constitute an easy and cheap labour force. Primarily they are employed in sectors like construction, transport, brick kilns and small satellite industrial units on a casual basis. In the hope of sending a substantial amount to their homes, they tend to spend less; work in tiring conditions and live in shades near their workplace. Devoid of any government-run provision store they use to take necessary groceries from local shops. Supposed ‘Truncus Aorta’ of the economy, these hardworking people suffer a lot because of their exploitation. The absence of effective legislation convoluted the situation and compounded the woes of the unorganised migrant workforce who are subjected to enslavement and low wages. Though to safeguard the interests of migrant workers ‘Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1979’ was passed and enacted but in all practicality, the Act is defunct and not being observed. Their hesitance to remain there and eagerness to leave their workplace permanently would create a void which may hamper the pace of economy of the place/state they were in. The readiness of the respective home state governments to accept their people with work would lead to a paradigm shift. Politicos of states like Maharastra may feel the brunt whose parochial engine was powered by the fuel of regional hatred, hostility and abusive behaviour. The opposition of exodus was also reported. 

The lockdown taught them a harsh lesson. They did not grumble nor had any complaints. They simply wanted to reach their homes which only could provide them shelter, food, security and emotional support. Without caring for their safety, food requirements and long distances they peregrinate with headloads and infants tucked in their laps. To ease and help the moving migrants, people from all walks of life came forward. Cooked food and shelter were provided to them on their way. It is heartening that the central government, in consultation with state governments, took steps which helped migratory labourers reaching their homes. ‘Shramik Special’ trains were started. Under strict ‘Social Distancing’ norms, the labourers were transported to the stations near to their homes. The government categorically made it clear that the labourers need not pay for their journey. The expenditure was borne by the central and state governments on a sharing basis; 85 per cent of the expenditure was to be borne by the central government while 15 per cent by the respective state governments. 

The respective home states chalked out a system to provide them with a job. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi government worked on it. An action plan was formulated in this direction. Talking to ‘The New Indian Express’ (03-May-2020) Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aditya Nath expressed confidence and said, “Today, we are in a position to provide immediate employment to 15 lakh people in the state and it is the responsibility of my government to provide them jobs.” Answering a question he further said, “We do have a challenge in hand but there are options galore. At present, we have made doorstep delivery arrangements all over the state during the lockdown. Through this, we have provided direct and indirect employment to more than 1.5 lakh people. MNREGA, MSME, ODOP (one district one product) and voluntary organizations are options through which we will give employment to them.” (Complete interview can be read here.) These steps augmented the morale of workers of the state who hope to get work in their state. 

 

Coronavirus pandemic is a menace. The number of corona cases is still on the rise. As of now, 1532135 coronavirus cases and 34224 deaths have been reported in India. This is harrowing. The curative/preventive drug/shot has yet to be evolved. The work is on. Some countries have progressed considerably in this direction. Working on monoclonal technique, Israel has claimed that they are testing the evolved vaccine on rodents. However, it is a time taking process. Until then, ‘Social Distancing’ through lockdown is the only effective weapon to fight Coronavirus pandemic. However, it has its limitation. The country is under lockdown since 25-March-2020. The halted economic activities pushed the system to the brink. Governments are running out of funds. With halted revenue generation the state governments find it difficult to pay salaries to their staff and run machinery. Urging the central government to relax lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Mr Arvind Kejariwal had opined that Coronavirus was going to stay and we should learn to live with it. The recent relaxation on liquor sale was a means to generate revenue, though the step received criticism all over the country. The ugly scene on hooch shops and the public behaviour was pathetic. The norm of ‘Social Distancing’ was seriously flouted. The police had to intervene and even the liquor sale was closed down.

The lockdown, though is an effective means to break the chain of Corona spread, cannot be imposed for long. The government has phasically lifted it and a large number of movements and commercial activities have been allowed, with some restrictions albeit.

The days are difficult but, hopefully, things would turn out better. The battle against Coronavirus is still on. Care and caution are effective weapons to combat the dreaded enemy. Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi has cautioned the people time and again to observe the cautions. Appealing the people to put on masks when in public places he emphasised to avoid crowds and maintain distance. He urged to remember Corona warriors who used to put on masks for long hours in case we long to take it out in his recent 'Man Ki Baat' program. As of now, it is the only way out. India, hopefully, would have a vaccine in a few months. The public trial of the vaccine has been started. By that time, it is incumbent upon the people to observe the norms and care.

Protests on Citizenship Amendment Act: Fabricated or Genuine

Loss of life of a duty-bound policeman in an insane happening of indiscriminate firing by a group of miscreants in Delhi is shocking and needs strong condemnation. The aimless killing demands severe penal action against the guilty. Such people are not only miscreants but diabolic murderers as well who believe in anarchy and lawlessness. Unfortunately, they who belong to a group subsisted by few political parties are fanning communal rife for their parochial gains. It reminds the gory incidences during the time of independence when a similar situation had been created to prove the shallow but divisive "Two Nation Theory" and "Direct Action" was called by Muslim League. That led to widespread riots, arson, killing and loot causing a massive exodus of people who were uprooted from their soil and made to move. Pakistan was created on a religious basis and chose to remain an Islamic country. Contrary to it, we adopted to remain secular. However, the word 'Secular' was misinterpreted and grossly misused.

After the post-partition upheaval eased and dust started setting down, India and Pakistan signed a pact in 1950. The Nehru-Liaquat pact was aimed to address the plight of refugees and their belongings. The opening paragraph of the pact says:

"The Governments of India and Pakistan solemnly agree that each shall ensure, to the minorities throughout its territory, complete equality of citizenship, irrespective of religion, a full sense of security in respect of life, culture, property and personal honour, freedom of movement within each country and freedom of occupation, speech and worship, subject to law and morality. Members of the minorities shall have equal opportunity with members of the majority community to participate in the public life of their country, to hold political or other offices, and to serve in their country's civil and armed forces. Both Governments declare these rights to be fundamental and undertake to enforce them effectively. The Prime Minister of India has drawn attention to the fact that these rights are guaranteed to all minorities in India by its Constitution. The Prime Minister of Pakistan has pointed out that similar provision exists in the Objective Resolution adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. It is the policy of both Governments that the enjoyment of these democratic rights shall be assured to all their national without distinction.
Both Governments wish to emphasize that the allegiance and loyalty of the minorities are to the state of which they are citizens and that it is to the government of their own State that they should look for the redress of their grievances."

The full text of the pact is here.

The pact was not honoured by Pakistan. Even after the pact, the exodus of minorities continued unabated from erstwhile East Pakistan. Answering a question in the Parliament, the then External Affairs Minister Sardar Swarn Singh had said that the instances of violations had started coming to notice almost immediately after the inception of the Pact. The treacherous act of theocratic states of Pakistan and erstwhile East Pakistan led to an unwanted situation wherein the religious minorities reduced to insignificant 3% during the past seven decades. The autocratic and intolerant attitude towards Hindus of Pakistan and East Pakistan(now Bangladesh) had left them in the lurch. With time, due to their persecution, the minorities in Pakistan progressively decreased and now they have almost wiped off from there. It was felt to do justice to such ill-fated minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), as passed by both Houses of Parliament, has been enacted. The Act is intended to help those persecuted minorities who have come to India for safety and dignity losing everything including modesty of their families. It is not new. It was felt by previous governments as well but was not implemented but for the past few months, post-enactment of the Act, certain areas of the country are witnessing sectarian conflagrations. Organized violent protests started which spread like wildfire. The public order was thrown out of gear. Public buses were torched systematically and police stations vandalized. Police were attacked heavily. The opposition of CAA by the 'Grand Old Party' and some petty parties is beyond comprehension. It is all the more important because it was mooted out by them as well but now they are opposing it.

The way CAA is being opposed clearly reveals the vicious intention of its perpetrators. The arm-twisting stratagem was adopted which came out in the form of Shaheen Bagh. It was aimed to give a non-violent face to an otherwise violent act of stone-pelting and firing. The real intentions took no time to come out. The government has taken several decisions in quick succession. Abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir and creation of two Union Territories, Tripple Talaq, Ayodhya verdict by Hon'ble Supreme Court are to name a few. The vexation infuriated them. It has tangentially been accepted by the protestors of Shahin Bagh as well.

A protest is intrinsic to a democratic society wherein people freely express their views, sentiments and/or apprehensions. It is a valid and effective means to register the opposition. It is a vital part of a healthy and viable democracy where every government decisions are put to rigorous grilling. It is right and it should be so. However, opposition for the sake of it, that too by adopting illegal means like road-block for a long time, is neither a valid means of protest nor should be encouraged. Torching buses, damaging public properties, disrupting public order in the name of democratic protest are illegal and cause undue public harassment. Those who are opposing CAA blindfolded are ignoring the basic facts and misleading the masses. Taking the shield of women and children, they are trying to play with the fear(?) and sentiments of a section. This must be stopped.