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Corruption, an issue of great concern

I write to commend H.K. Dua for his front-page editorial (“The stink of corruption”, April 29) on a subject of great concern to the people of our country. How right he is that the issue of corruption does not find itself on the agenda of our political leaders, irrespective of their party affiliations. Can the country carry on like this?

The time has come when the burden of corruption is increasingly becoming intolerable for the common citizen — the Aam Admi. The irony is that the very leaders who invoke the name of the poor citizen, in their efforts to garner votes, are themselves corrupt to the core and their rapacious appetite keeps increasing with each passing day.

T.N. Ninan in his weekend ruminations (Business Standard, April 6), had stated the following: “Corruption in the states has reached unthinkable levels. One businessman talked of the chief minister of a state demanding Rs 500 crore from a problem-ridden industry, as the price for fixing its problems. Another businessman from another state talked of the state’s rulers asking for 30 per cent of the cost of any project as the political contribution that would have to be made. A third businessman had his factory shut for several months under some environmental rule because he did not pay the sum demanded of him. These are numbers that we have not heard before in similar contexts...” Need one say more?

Lt-Gen VIJAY OBEROI (retd), Former Vice Chief of Army Staff, Panchkula

II

Honesty has taken wings from all wings of our government. Indeed, democracy has been turned into kleptocracy.

It is widely acknowledged that corruption starts at the top and filters down to the bottom. The low-rung officials cannot be corrupt without the active connivance of the high and mighty bosses. An honest and efficient administrator can bring the well-oiled machine of corruption to a grinding halt. However, even a leader of Dr Manmohan Singh’s stature feels helpless when the government’s survival hinges on rusted pivots.

Prof BASANT S. BRAR, Bathinda

III

The politician-bureaucrat nexus has always been there. Often, it was a club of good people where as now it is otherwise. New cabals of sleaze alecs and their wily subsidiaries are fast coming up, devoid of any moral values and oblivious of the common man’s woes.

Their definition of morality and ethics is different. You scratch my back and yours. If I cover you, you too should; otherwise you are breaking our code of conduct. Further as pointed out by Mr Dua, in the judiciary too, some creeps of this gender could be there who willy-nilly give reprieve to their brethren. In such a situation, a couplet by Ghalib comes into the mind: Socha tha karenge fariyad hakim se/ Magar kambakht woh bhi tera chahne wala nikla.

Not to sound too pessimistic, one must say that such dingies are not in a majority but can be in future if this menace is not checked promptly.

R. K. MALHOTRA, Chandigarh

IV

I agree that the politician-bureaucrat nexus is stronger today. You travel the whole of Europe and however hard you may try, you cannot bribe a single police officer. However, here in India, you cannot get things done without bribing the cop. Still, we call ourselves spiritualistic and call Europeans materialistic. What an irony!

We are the products of a bogus culture of which we are so much proud. China changed its culture and they are progressing fast. When shall we get awakened? And who will help us?

BHARAT KUMAR GUPTA, Kandaghat

V

The front-page editorial has taken us to the roots of our country’s democratic system. Democracy rests on four pillars — the legislature, the executive, the judiciary and the media. The first two have been entirely engulfed by corruption and the other two are somewhat submerged and going down the vast sea of corruption.

Some sections of the media have also links with the corrupt VIPs or political parties, not averse to corruption. Where will a person get justice? The general public who sends the people to seats of power are helpless. They are like stones which can’t stop a caravan. If bigger stones are removed, the caravan surges forward uninterrupted.

Until the voter understands his power of vote, little can be done. The stink no more affects our noses.

KHAZAN SINGH, Kapurthala

VI

I wonder whether our leaders at the helm will appreciate Mr Dua’s editorial. For they have the mastery to pretend being colour blind and myopic with the ability only to consign such masterpieces to the global gallery where we are ranked very high among the world’s most corrupt nations.

Nonetheless, keep it up! Such edits are very much needed today to awaken our leaders from their slumber. Woh subha kabhi tou phir aey gee.

GIANCHAND MITHOO, Chandigarh

VII

The politicians and the bureaucrats have appeared in the court, having been accused of swindling crores of rupees, but the investigating agencies could not establish strong cases against them. We need not name any particular party or person because ethics has become rotten everywhere. Even cricket and hockey have tasted corruption.

When the corrupt call the shots in a democracy, the best gravitate to the bottom and the worst float on the top — a few become kingmakers and the vast majority of people become its victims. We need the services of dedicated intelligentsia and media to lead from the front and make people exercise their most sacred voting right judiciously.

JAGTAR SINGH ANANDPURI, Mohali

Back to square one National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) teams visited Chandigarh for assessment and gradation of the colleges three years ago. There was a flurry of activity in the city colleges, each trying to outdo the other. Quality, vision and innovative teaching and learning practices were the buzzwords. A lot of time was spent on preparing voluminous reports of the achievements of the colleges — all for getting a good grade. Cosmetic changes to give a new look to the colleges were too conspicuous to be ignored. In short, the colleges were decked up to welcome the NAAC teams. Two years down the lane, everything is back to square one. Far from the maddening pace at which the activities were taking place during the NAAC assessment, it is back to old ways in the colleges. RAMA KASHYAP, Chandigarh