DailyPost 2488
CORRUPTION – A POLITICAL WAR CRY!
Corruption as war cry has been yielding dividends in the political arena since decades. It dates back in a very visible and conspicuous way, at least since the days Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who took the issue to a very different level, which could make or mar leaders and governments as well. Since those days corruption has been a perennial thread binding the politics of this country. First, corruption delivers to the powers that be; how rampant it has been is not a matter of any great disagreement. Secondly, it has been used as political tool to fix the adversary in variety of ways.
Now that it is again being used as a political battle cry, one is forced to get into the genesis of it. The way corruption has been used in this manner makes us realize that it would continue be remain the same. There is a deep seated feeling in any rational thinking person, that this ecosystem is here to stay. The corruption imbroglio on the ground is very different from the political media blitzkrieg which is orchestrated for a very specific purpose. Once achieved, it gets all over. There nothing binding by way political culture, or conscience or a moral mindset or an upbringing to political propriety. It goes through a cycle of political relevance and irrelevance, but nowhere reaching anywhere close to extinction even in the distant future.
The irony of situation is that the ones who make the largest political noises and political capital are the best practitioners of the game. Some green horns who join the bandwagon to start with change their colors completely once they come to power. VP Singh’s resignation and later change in the government was a result of a making corruption a political war cry. In the years to follow the Narsimha Rao’s tryst with show of strength and consequent JMM saga are enough of a proof, as to what this corruption political war cry meant for the country.
The battle for information was won, which was considered as milestone in bringing probity & transparency in government and governance. That did not happen. The battle seems to have been done and dusted. Anna Hazare, became the second Mahatma, on the India Against Corruption movement to bring in a strong anti-corruption Lokpal. The battle was technically won but the war against corruption remains a much bigger one. The big scandals of the Congress government gave fodder to make corruption once again a political war cry and it turned tables in 2014. Where do we stand now? Does the political class use corruption as political tool to forget it completely once the political goal is accomplished? No one needs to answer, no one needs an answer. Obvious it is!
CORRUPTION WAR CRY IS AN EASY TOOL TO SWAY THE GULLIBLE MASSES, THEY HAVE NOT SHOWN ANY COMMITMENT BEYOND IT.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.