Gandhian Response to Government Apathy

WHEN THE THRESHOLD FOR CORRUPTION IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN INDIA WAS CROSSED

Mahatma Gandhi was of the view that, the Indian National Congress Party would become ineffective and unworthy to deliver in the new democratic dispensation of independent India. This, only because its leadership and following was slowly but surely moving towards a culture steeped in corruption and void of the moral values evident during the Freedom Struggle. He was of the opinion that the Congress had become irrelevant and must give place to a new and worthy political organization, which could govern and steer the country towards prosperity and greatness.

His thinking was prophetic and pregnant with meaning. After 64 years of our independence from the British Rule, we are today witnessing a popular civil movement against the present government, under the stewardship of Gandhian Anna Hazare, which has given expression to the anger and frustration of the People of India. They have taken to the streets, in all corners of the country in a demonstration of their solidarity with Anna Hazare, the veritable icon of civil society, in its fight against corruption. Public response to the demand voiced by Anna Hazare to the government, for an effective and potent Jan Lok Pal Bill to be introduced in the Parliament during the Monsoon session, has taken the wind out of the sails of the government, who continue to remain obdurate and defiant in their position on the issue. It is heartening to see the youth fired by the purpose and manner of this public arousal and their participating in large numbers to provide the required impetus and thrust to Anna’s clarion call to fight corruption in the Legislature, Judiciary and the Executive.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Indian democracy is trapped between those who participate in the process of forming the government and those who are concerned about governance. While the former are not concerned about governance, the latter do not participate in the making of the government. A weird situation, by any stretch of our imagination. An elected government takes solace in this bizarre democratic dichotomy and arrogates to itself constitutional authority. Good governance is consigned to the trash can, in this ‘first past the post’ election process obtaining in the country. With the compulsions of coalition politics, which has helped form our governments in the past decade and now, the situation has only become worse. Corruption got institutionalized in the 70s and 80s and for a politician winning an election is all that mattered. The means to the victory could take a walk. Sheshan, as the Chief Election Commissioner of the country did yeoman service in bringing about systemic changes to the entire process of elections, and things improved marginally. However, the rot is so deep rooted in the psyche of the people who wield authority of any kind, be it politician, bureaucrat, judge, police, revenue official et al that we as a country remained mired in moral and financial corruption.

The surge of a liberalized economy and end of the ‘License Permit Raj’ spiraled a Corporate culture, which colluded with the government in appropriating the spin offs accruing from the discretionary authority vested with Ministers and Bureaucrats. Money was the common denominator for both the parties, while one extracted it from the Corporate by doing favors the other made a fortune for themselves from the purses of the People. The costs of contesting and winning an election were ensured and the Ferris wheel of give and take moved on in perpetuity. When the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance {UPA} yet again anointed Sardar Man Mohan Singh to become the first executive of the country for a second consecutive term, his political skills were put to a severe  test in managing his cabinet and take refuge in the apology of the dictum----“compulsions of coalition politics”. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran are the corrupt faces of that compulsion. While Kalamdi probably brow beat the PMO and the PM, with his skills in expedient politics, to misappropriate public money under the garb of National Pride in the organization and conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Whatsoever be the reason, corruption became a National scourge and evoked anger and cynicism in equal measure from the People. A proactive and sensitized Supreme Court as also the institutions of the CBI and the CAG, nailed the corrupt and helped put them behind bars in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The country sincerely hopes that they are convicted and punished as and when they are tried in a court of law.

It is an appropriate moment for the much talked about demographic dividend of the country, to make a commitment to them selves that, they shall stand tall and clean in the decaying morass of political expediency in public life and instill within the same passion and fire which glorified the youth of pre independent India.

Brigadier {retd} S D Dangwal

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