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It's indeed
amazing !! A country which often
witnesses a strong chorus directed
towards corruption shows no sign
of getting rid of it !! I
distinctly remember the great JP
movement of 1974 ,in Bihar, that
started off primarily with
anti corruption tirade as focus
and soon spread far and wide in
the country. That it was called
the 'holy movement' launched by an
old man was a testimony to the
fact that the ordinary Indian
wanted corruption to go out of the
public life. The impact was enough
to change the power at Delhi ,for
the first time in independent
India. Not only that , since then,
at least the two most populous and
politically sensitive states of
India, UP and Bihar, have seen the
power acquired mostly by those
thrown up by the movement.
Why then still be Bofors, 2 G
spectrums, Adarshas, Common Wealth
Games and so many small and big
scams littered all over the social
spectrum in India? What drives
corrupt tendencies in our society
? Well, as I see the reasons
emerge from two main sources , one
is the deep sense of insecurity
about the future for most of the
Indians, financially speaking and
the other certainly is the
incidences of glorification of
neo-rich ! We forgot Mahatma
Gandhi who said that end may be
important but the means to achieve
the end is more important. Yes,
India has forgotten that earning
money is important for survival
and growth but the way it is to be
done has also to be in line with
the acceptable social norms.
But who listens and follows these
sane words ? Mindless
glorification of riches ,
materialism and vulgar show of
money can be found everywhere , in
the print media to the more
dominant, electronic media. The
slogan is, earn and earn money
,whatever way you can!
Is it not surprising that
industries are coming up fast on
corruption driven forces ? We have
Real estate mafia, Education mafia
, Health services mafia and what
not. The ordinary citizen is dumb
founded. He's not only clueless ,
he has no answers too!
Where is India
as a nation really heading to ?
We learn that the black money
stashed away in foreign banks can
finance India's 5 year plan, that
it can feed the below poverty line
Indians for 10 years ,that there
would be no adverse effect even if
no income tax is levied for 30
years ,that India would be able to
pay off its entire debt , in one
go , that India , even after
paying off its debt will not need
further loans for the next five
years ,and the list of goodies
goes on ......
The government statistics may show
inclusive growth taking place in
the society but unless the menace
of corruption is reigned in the
growth at best shall remain only
an elusive dream for the common
man. Not only that , the very
dangerous portent that is already
visible in the Indian society that
is of large scale alienation of
poor from the rich is a natural
fall out of the consequences
of corruption led acquiring of
wealth by some , at the cost of
others.
It does not require a sharp brain
to conclude that if it goes on
unabated the divide between the
poor and the rich would only grow
and the society may witness
turmoil of the kind being
currently witnessed in some
Arabian countries , notable in
Egypt.
India is already facing the
naxalite menace , rising mainly
due to the economic imbalance, the
root of which is corruption. A
large chunk of the money meant to
be spent for developing backward
regions are finding their ways
into the unusually deep pockets of
the bureaucrats and the
politicians.
One of the recent developments
taking place in the country is
rapid industrialization led by the
private sector over which the
government has no control in terms
of checking corruption. All the
vigilance, the CBI and other
agencies are meant only for those
working in the government directly
or government owned enterprises.
This has allowed the private
sector to use all the means (read
corrupt means) at its disposal for
its much desired spreading of
wings. In the days to come , if it
is not checked, the gamut and
frequency of corruption can go
beyond our imagination.
What is required to be done and by
whom ?
No one can believe that government
is doing what is due to be done to
eradicate corruption in India, for
the simple reason that governments
in India thrive on money strength
only as the leaders' stature is
constantly declining. This has
become the most important
determinant for your political
existence. Obviously , black money
comes into play in all sorts of
elections ,be it even the ward
level one.
What is needed in India too , like
is done elsewhere, is to legislate
stringent punishment for
corruption. However, it is easy
said than done in a country where
barring a few all other honorable
members have at least one criminal
case pending against them.
Whether we accept it or not , the
fact remains that India , at
present and in the forseeable
future lacks a national leader.
The era of statesmanship seems to
be completely eluding the nation
and with it the likelihood of
people listening to some one who
really wants good of the society
diminishes. Alas , there is no JP
around who can lead the youngsters
who have the desire to clean the
mess. |
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