Kapil’s Khichadi
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My friend, Prashant Tiwari (a leading political commentator from Delhi and an ex-advisor to former Prime Ministers of India and Mauritius)were discussing why corruption is so endemic in India. What follows is a synopsis of our observations.
Corruption is so rampant that it has for many become a way of life, an accepted evil, this is despite of the best efforts of Prime Minister Modi and his clean image. Now the mega political scams are restricted, but the crony capitalist have continued their practice unabated leading to a slowdown in technological advancement, a lack of competition which could even border on collusion, and higher prices for consumers.
While we must give the present BJP government some credit for its implementation of the GST, we cannot ignore the fact that shadow economies lead to an unorganised workforce, wherein workers face problems with salaries, job security, contract agreements, working conditions and so on. An informal workforce hampers the growth of manufacturing firms through lower degrees of productivity. It should not be surprising that India is a country which largely consists of an informal workforce, and the continuation of such which will affect both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of growth in the long run.
The present government was clear with its agenda when it came into power six years ago, and to some extent the intention to rid society of corruption could be seen, namely through the two main economic reforms that it introduced (demonetisation and GST). The reality however reflects the plain and simple fact that either nothing has changed, or it has merely gotten worse. The Punjab National Bank Fraud(PNB) is a clear indication of this, and of course the situation has been reflected in the Transparency International’s global corruption index. A lower ranking for India compared to previous years is certainly a black mark on the BJP government’s report card. There are many more scams one can list, for example: Bofors, Spectrum, CWG, Fodder, FCI, Coal, Aircel Maxis, National Herald, Banking and so on. Allegations are rife on people like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Sandesarabrothers and otherswho have largely gone into sleep mode. Living a luxurious life under the protection of foreign powers, namely the UK mostly. Whether it’s Congress or the BJP, fraudsters have mastered the art to over-power the system to their advantage.The decades of planting sleeper cells within the institutions of India continue to pay heavy dividends to these crooks.
All wings of the democracy are infected by the corruption virus. Legislative, Executive, Judiciary and Media are overpowered by corporate money. Today, Lok Sabha elections are heavily funded by corporate money hence irrespective of the outcome, they decide the leadership issue. The prime posting in the key government positions for bureaucrats are decided by third parties in consultation with the ruling elites to secure their interest. In recent times, appointment of Judges in the higher judiciary is pushed by vested interest groups to safeguard their interest and lastly, much of the national media is controlled by select big pocket corporate houses directly or indirectly to set up an anti-India narrative that suits the interest of their business, or their foreign political masters. The essence of democracy is crushed by the vested interest lobbies and the common man on the street struggles to secure his basic rights guaranteed under the constitution.
The dream of establishing an ideal democracy fit for Bharat continues to remain an illusion. And yet, with all these ills, it continues to survive. That’s the soul of Bharat.
