M A I N   N E W S

A historic verdict
By Hari Jaisingh

TRANSPARENCY in public life and fair judicial action are the right answers to check the increasing menace of political and administrative corruption in India. Viewed in this light, the Special Court has rightly sentenced former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao and his Cabinet colleague Buta Singh to three years' rigorous imprisonment in the JMM MPs' bribery case. There may still be a long legal battle ahead. As for bribe-takers, the court has forfeited Shalendra Mahato's bribe money and asked the CBI to register a fresh case against the other three. There are wheels within wheels. Moreover, the legal and related administrative system thrives on loopholes, often to the advantage of apparently guilty persons. Thus, we cannot be sure whether this historic verdict will send the right message down the line and help curb political corruption. Perhaps, the landmark judgement should be seen as symbolic by all those who are occupying positions of power and rule the country in the name of the people and the Constitution.

Mr Narasimha Rao was the country's Prime Minister from June 21, 1991, to May 16, 1996, and Mr Buta Singh occupied a key ministerial berth in his Cabinet from February 9, 1995, to February 20, 1996. In popular perspective prevailing then, Mr Rao was viewed as a wise person. He started the process of economic reforms with the help of Dr Manmohan Singh, who has the reputation of being genuinely Mr Clean. What made the former Prime Minister succumb to the trappings of power needs a thorough study. One thing, however, must be said: having acquired power, the temptation to hold on to it by hook or by crook was apparently irresistible for him. He manoeuvred the numbers game in the Lok Sabha and turned his minority government into a majority one. This was at the root of his problem. It was a highly unprincipled and unethical gambit. Perhaps, Mr Narasimha Rao must not have thought that one day he would be caught in his own trap. True, he is not the sole culprit in the corruption games politicians play. There are a number of politicians who have managed to go scot-free for one reason or the other.

People have a fairly good idea about who is corrupt and who is not. The judiciary has its own yardstick to prove one's guilt. Many politicians and bureaucrats could escape punishment because of the lack of evidence or on some technical grounds. Several known cases of corruption are still awaiting judgement. There is apparently something basically wrong with the system where the fight against corrupt practices often looks like shadow-boxing.

Political corruption has indeed become a fact of life. A terribly faulty electoral system has only strengthened a parallel economy. Unless we correct the system, it will be futile to expect a corruption-free society. Today, there is a premium on dishonesty. Honest persons either get punished or are sidelined by corrupt politicians and their collaborators. This is not the India its citizens had bargained for.

One could sympathise with Mr Rao. Perhaps, he was not clever enough to wipe out the traces of evidence against him. A number of publicmen continue to thrive because they have perfected the art of destroying evidence in today's state of drift. In any case, Mr Narasimha Rao's case should be an eye-opener. In fact, the ruling class must realise that in the long run corruption and corrupt practices do not pay. But in a long-drawn-out battle against political corruption, we have to make the system both transparent and accountable. This calls for electoral and administrative reforms. It is a poor reflection on Indian democracy if the people's representatives, including a former Prime Minister, become vulnerable to the temptation of power and money. This poses a serious challenge to the polity. A corruption-prone system affects everything. It encompasses virtually all segments of society. Corrupt leaders impart a momentum to wrong practices and gradually muddy the system. All enlightened citizens and established institutions should, therefore, address themselves to the task of eliminating corruption from public life. We all aspire to see a transparent and efficient India in the 21st century.