Power corrupts

So Raja has been sacked, PM finds himself in a tight spot and so does the Karnataka Chief Minister. The CWG scam has begun to take its toll as the heads begin to roll. Welcome to the latest season of corruption scams. The 2G scam of 1.77 lakh crore rupees (INR 1770 billion) is the biggest one the country has seen. And the poor Prime Minister finds his hands tied because of 'political compulsions'.

Unlike the Nehruvian era, the post-1990 period has seen only coalition governments at the centre. National parties do not have enough influence over all the states. So in order to form government at the centre, these parties are forced to enter into agreements with the regional parties. These agreements are virtually deals with the devil, leaving little or no room for it to carry out its agenda. While these alliances had a moderating effect on the pro-Hindutva BJP government, for the current UPA government, most of these are burdens that slow down the growth of the economy with their corrupt practices and/or populist policies.

Regional parties are not inherently evil. Most of them were founded with the noble cause of integrating the neglected sections of the society into the political mainstream. However, to compete with the might and the strength of the established national parties, they had no option other than to rely on the financial support from 'dubious sources'. And this is not the story of regional parties alone. National parties too are split into various factions in all states. These factions too behave in a manner similar to that of the regional parties to sustain themselves. So the parties are corrupt at the grass-root level. And the national leaders are the ones who win the rat-race at the local level in such a fantastic manner so as to attract the attention of the 'high-command'.

The cost of contesting in elections has increased manifold. So the leaders who can 'arrange for' sufficient funds emerge as either kings or king-makers in the states. They also get to have a say on who gets which ministry at the centre, especially if they belong to the regional parties. These ministers then have to give concessions or 'make adjustments' to please their 'financiers'. What happened in the 2G scam is only a more obvious instance of this widespread phenomenon. Again, the ministers also make hay while the sun shines. The cases of the current Karnataka CM is an example. He 'gifted' valuable real estate at throwaway prices to his relatives. The interesting point is that, the Congress is using this scam as a shield to counter the opposition attacks. There is a general feeling that the parties, national and regional, ruling as well as opposition, are using these scams as mere tools to capture power. They have no serious intention to root out this menace from the society. 'We are like this only' is their silent refrain. 'Why blame us alone? The others too are as corrupt as we are' is another one. Sometimes it seems as if India survives in spite of 'democracy', not because of it.

Politicians are not the only ones to be blamed for this. Bureaucracy too plays its part. The Weberian concept of its neutrality has been modified by many public servants in India to 'servility for the furtherance of personal interests'. The question is, when the dishonest public servants are colluding with the politicians to undermine the institution of democracy, should the honest ones be forced to maintain their silence in the name of anonymity? To what should the bureaucrats be more committed to - the political institutions which are being compromised almost on a daily basis or the Constitution which embodies the values which our founding fathers cherished?

Indian society does not support a whistle-blower until s/he either dies or becomes successful in spite of tremendous odds. Admit it - the common man is a coward, a creature more pre-occupied with his daily life rather than any national interest. It has been so for a long time and I see no reason why it will suddenly change for the better. So, if the country goes to the dogs, let it go. I will not raise my voice against anyone as long as I get my bread and butter, though it may be adulterated.