Is fight against corruption again a losing battle?

The phenomena of corruption is all pervasive in the contemporary scene in India and many leaders charged with corruption are still holding to power with the result that fight against corruption is becoming day by day losing battle. No doubt India has the best chance in current regime for eliminating this malady as the government is being ruled by a Prime Minister who is not only honest but also keen to ensure that all those who work with him maintain high standard of integrity. He is not only himself spotless virtually absolved by 12 years fault fighting investigation against him before he captured power in Delhi but also determined to root out the deep seated disease. Unlike his predecessor he is both strong with solid majority to back him in the legislature and decisive. Nevertheless the phenomena is so widely sunk in the functioning of the government and corporate sector that it seems to be a very arduous task ahead of the country to free itself from this all engulfing sickness. My pessimism has been set lose  by the exposure in case of Director CBI’s conduct in cultivating close relations with people who are neck deep in corruption enquiries. The very agency that is supposed to play a key role to uproot the corruption is not above suspicion. The director has entertained at his home dozens of such accused and even fifty times or seventy times in last few months. Although the director has questioned the authenticity of list and also demanded the source of information yet the facts as reported point the needle of suspicion on his conduct.

When Supreme Court also joins him to find the source instead of ordering investigation based on material produced the whole matter seems to be again taking its own slow course of delay and death. Jan Lok Pal bill was proposed in 1968 by then law Minister Shanti Bhushan and the passage by Lok Sabha.  It was supposed to be final answer to the need to curb corruption. But Rajya Sabha could not pass it and since then it has been tabled in the house again 11 times till 2013 and has cost the nation Rs 28billion. Still it is hanging fire and not finally out. This shows how entire system of legislature, judiciary and executive are hampering the fight against corruption.

The crusade of Ram Deve for bringing back black money from abroad and Anna Haare for Lok Pal bil took their toll and entire struggle as well as sacrifice has gone waste till I write this column and now even the agencies that are going to implement it are looking tired and wearisome.

There are good stories I hear that Modi helped a young boy in Assam who could not get his passport to join his employer in Kuwait and was threatened that unless he pays bribe he will not get it and yet he received passport within a few day when he wrote to Modi on his becoming the Prime Minister. But how many boys Modi will help and how many people can write to him and will get answer? The attitude of people can be described in  a typical answer you get when talking of corruption in public  ‘All are corrupt so what if a particular leader is also corrupt?’ How long even convicted leaders will fight elections from jail and win? There is need to unleash an attitude of social boycott of such tinted leaders and corporate managers. There cannot be complete eradication of corruption unless we bring a social revolution. Why Anna Hazare is silent and inactive but he is very much needed even if Lokpal Bill is passed the attitudes will remain the same.

Bus Stop

First Passenger: I want to go to IPL matches but am not sure if Government will permit this and my ticket may  go waste.

Second Passenger: Don’t bother even Government is interested to watch the matches so they will find a way for their own entertainment.

-----Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman Airport Authority and Ex Chairman of Management Development Institute (MDI)

Natwar’s masterpiece of history and literature

There  is a buz about  political controversy surrounding Sonia Gandhi’s abdication of opportunity to become the Prime Minister of India as mentioned in Natwar Singh’s book ‘One life is not enough’.  These episodes claim only few pages whereas the book is an authentic chronicle of events from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Sonia Gandhi besides frequent description of artists like M.F.Hussain and Chinese painters,   writers E.M.Forester to Malyali author of chammeen Thakazi Shivashankar Pillai .This novel was later turned into a movie. Nuggets about R.K.Naryan who authored Guide and that was later made into movie is interesting as Deva Anand sought Natwar Singh’s help for making Narayan agree to allow the movie shooting on the script.

Why I assert that his history is credible appears transparent from his description of Nehru family that was closest to him and he most admired his hero Jawahar lal as well as others of dynasty have been covered with grace and objectivity. In spite of his full throated praise for vision of Nehru to lay the foundation of Indian democracy he finds three major areas where he failed. First failure was the partition of India  that was agreed by him despite disagreement of Gandhi, Jay Prakash Azad, and others. It badly let down Abdul Gufar Khan the frontier great man who felt ditched. The problem of P)artition and Kashmir were the outcome of  two blunders that Jawahar lal committed.  First he virtually surrendered to Mountbatten and   over trusted him. Natwar Singh frankly penned that Nehru and Edwina wife of Governor General were in love that made matters worse as he shared state secrets with her. Second he similarly gave in to Sheikh Abdullah as both he and Mountbatten exploited the trust of Nehru. It was strange that Nehru asked Mountbatten to continue as Governor General of India even after Independence and manage the country by proxy without accountability. The same arrangement was offered to Mohammed Ali Jinah for Pakistan who refused to get into trap. In case of Kashmir despite an able Deputy Prime Minister in Sardar Patel opposing it he went by Abdullah to refer Kashmir matter to United Nations and thus accepted a bilateral matter as in dispute before third party. 

In case of China too Nehru was too emotional to believe that China can invade India. When Chu En ly came before the border war the matter could have been tackled much better but the same was mishandled in the same blind belief that China will not attack. Everyone has pros and cons in one’s actions but Nehru despite vision and intelligence in later years was too dependents on unreliable friends. He also mentions that J.F.Kennedy who hosted Nehru for his ‘soaring idealism’ was greatly disappointed as Nehru was then jaded and tired man. Kennedy remarked that Nehru’s was worst visit of any leader he had hosted. Natwar Singh presents a round of world leaders as he had rubbed shoulders with most of them.

As the narration is not only saga of world events but also a lively collection of sketches of widely varying personalities. Some of the witty anecdotes pertain to artists like when he met M.F.Hussain at a club and the artists borrows his new car for few hours and disappears for days only to tell him later that he went to Kanpur instead. Again he tells about his barging in his house in London and staying there for long and paint in his house. Singh arranges his exhibition but one day the artist disappears as a guard at embassy questioned him at the entrance which annoyed him. When he was made Fertilizer Minster he says wags made fun of him that he was cow dung minister.

This is a readable book full of charm and grace giving glimpses of author’s personal encounter with world leaders in Politics, art literature and life. Many books have recently come about current political scenario but these present mundane pictures of author’s contribution to doing big things but Natwar unfolds a landscape of world events and personalities with exceedingly imitable and literary touch. I have some books written by him, that were graciously presented by him to me, but this is a masterpiece .

Bus Stop

First Passenger: Why Congress Ministers of Himachal are fighting with each other

Second Passenger: They are doing rehearsal to fight BJP.

--Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority of India