Corrupt country: that is how the common Indians name their dear motherland. Citizens of other civilized nations also refer to us in no pleasing terms. To know the details refer to reports of The Transparency International.
The common perception is that politicians are corrupt from top to toe. The so-called economic reform and globalisation have opened the floodgates of rampant corruption; norms are being flouted, time-honoured principles are being neglected, morality and ethical principles have been banished and common people are being taken for a ride.
Last year wrong doings of Shashi Tharoor, the central minister, were brought to light and he was shown the door. Then the Adarsh Apartments scam in Maharashtra claimed the head of the state chief minister. Now the mother of scams namely 2G scam is hitting the headlines. Beneficiary of this scam is Tata Teleservices, which paid a paltry sum of Rs 1600 crore for the 404 MHz spectrum. The DMK’s representative in Coalition Central Cabinet, Mr A. Raja was the man being held responsible for giving the facility to Ratan Tata headed Tata Teleservices. Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Report lifted the lid from this infamous scam that Raja chose not to auction the offer but preferred Tata Teleservices which resulted in colossal loss to the exchequer. It is estimated that an auction could have brought between Rs 900 to 20,000 crore. In November 2008 Tata Teleservices sold 26 per cent stake of this deal to Japanese telecom firm Docomo for $2.8 billion making a very fat profit out of this single deal. Raja is responsible for showing special favour to Tata ahead of 343 applicants. Income Tax Department’s secret phone tapes have revealed how a socialite and power broker Niira Radia played a crucial role in procuring information and passing it to her clients for reaping illegal benefits. Only a part of the tapes of conversation between Radia and Ratan Tata has been revealed (only 104 out of 5800 tapes have been released). Remaining tapes may reveal more damaging details. Rattan Tata has rushed to Supreme Court under the plea that his privacy and private conversation are being violated. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Politicians wield power and often do it with self-interest and not for public good. Unfortunately their necks are so big that the long arm of law fails to catch hold of these.
Judiciary was looked at as the last resort to save the country from corruption. But corruption has seeped into the venerated institution also. Prashant Bhushan, the whistle blowing senior advocate and human rights activist, who is credited with unravelling this mother of all scams, had caused a stir when he alleged that out of 16 Chief Justices of Supreme Court half were corrupt and to prove his point he has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court.
The nagging question before the honest Indian is what to do when justice and fair play have gone to wild beasts and the country is left with no help, bewildered and perplexed. Turning to God, rejuvenating the ethical principles and inculcating the sense of responsibility and accountability before God is the solution. Only this can save us from moral degeneration and certain destruction.