Corruption: across Political Boundaries except the Left

Corruption seems to be the flavour of today with everyone and his uncle having something to say about it. In the process the people at the receiving end of spiralling prices and pervasive corruption are being treated to the sight of a yoga guru fleeing from the police in women's dress, breaking down and crying in front of the media a day later, and still not being explain why he could not survive nine days of a fast when ordinary mortals across the world do it for health or religious reasons for weeks at a time.

 The guru is fading into insignificance as the two most corrupt parties in the country, the Congress and teh BJP slug it out. The yoga guru Ramdev was used by both both to score points, and discarded when he failed to deliver for either because of a variety of reasons. Now BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has attacked Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, saying she is as fit to tackle corruption as Pakistan is to tackle terror. The Congress has, predictably, jumped to her defence but Gadkari has a point that is probably endorsed by Congress members in the safety of their chambers. Of course, the point here remains that as many fingers can be pointed at the BJP leaders who did need a Ramdev to lead their campaign against corruption. The others were too fragile in terms of their personal monetary records, and in this a race to the top 'most corrupt' post will result in a photo finish for the Congress and the BJP.

There can be no two views that the battle against corruption (it has long since transcended the term "fight") has to be political.It has to be waged by political parties at different levels, within the government through stringent investigation and action, through effective legislations; within the political system through mass campaigns and mobilisation of public opinion; within the judiciary through quick and far reaching rulings on the issue; and of course within the media with non-biased and factual exposure of corruption

and the corrupt. All the pillars of democracy are required to work together to check and eradicate this menace, together and not against each other.

But what is happening on the ground. The two main parties, along with many other regional parties, have not just not joined the battle but have created a situation in the country where the corrupt flourish. And in many cases are rewarded with national honours! The government is unable to take free and fair action against the corrupt, is fighting even today to resist a Bill that will bring politicians under its ambit, and clearly wants the presently unaccountable, dishonest, non-transparent system to continue. The BJP and the Congress are both declaring themselves to be the repository of all honesty from the pulpit, but their antics and their protection of the corrupt has eaten into their credibility with the people.

The judiciary is also reeling under the influence of India's "growth" and is finding it to difficult, except at the higher levels, to bring the guilty to book as a result. And the media that should have worked as an independent watch dog through this hour of crisis has its own friends and foes--- a list drawn up by the business owners and their editors---that it cannot violate without journalists losing their jobs and being on the streets for life. So instead of fighting the corrupt, the media has by and large decided to join them, and in some cases leads the way through telling editorials and comments.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is one of the few Chief Ministers who has joined the cacophony, siding with the Congress in its attack against civil society. Who are they to lay down the law, they ask, who is this civil society, how dare they intervene in what is political jurisdiction. Well, if the political parties had done their work, and protected the people from rampant corruption instead of turning corrupt themselves, civil society could have continued dabbling in social work and would not have felt the need to sit on

hunger fast in the heat in Delhi.

The Congress is now talking of :good" civil society as against "bad" civil society, so those mandated say by the National Advisory Council become good, and those who question the government are of course, bad. And what do they mean by :civil" society," asks the Congress party's politically challenged leader Manish Tiwari, are we not civil? Perhaps he should pick up a book or two---difficult of course---to understand what 'civil society' means in real political terms. The Congress should desist from this absurd categorisation of civil society and the people of India, as it only reveals highly authoritarian and intolerant tendencies.

Look at the amount of energy and time the Congress is spending in just fighting those who are raising questions. It has an entire industry going to counter Anna Hazare and his group, to tackle Ramdev by first pleading and then beating, to disinform the media on a daily basis, to counter the BJP and other parties, to work with the MPS in Parliament to ensure there is no support for those who are shouting against corruption. And all it needed to do was to re-draft the pathetic Lokpal Bill a long time ago, and insist it be brought into Parliament. Perhaps Gadkari has a point when he says the Congress is not equipped or willing to deal with Corruption, it is too much part of the same.

The reason why the political parties are keeping out of a campaign against corruption is evident. They are all complicit. The BJP and RSS had to hide behind Ramdev who eventually proved to be a paper tiger, but even so the BJP could not pull out one leader from its ranks to spearhead the movement. Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and others can only oppose, they cannot join the movement without dire consequences. Every CBI case will be pulled against them. Out of the national parties, only the Left can move against corruption politically as it does not have crippling skeletons in its cupboard. And judging from a mass dharna against corruption in New Delhi, some sense seems to have dawned on the Left, as all shades of Left opinion participated in the protest.

Hazare should not be daunted, and should continue the campaign if that is what he and his group wants. India is a democracy, and governments who challenge the peoples democratic rights have to be countered. The democratic space has to be reclaimed. Hazare does not need to fight an election to satisfy the Congress. Prashant Bhushan does not need to go on a fast to satisfy Minister Kapil Sibal. They are free to protest as they want so long as they are peaceful, and the cause is just.And as the politicians are so fond of saying, let the people be the final

judge !