The happenings with regard to the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, should cause too much concern among citizens, who see the growing tentacles of corruption as an important aspect of the evolving Indian social system. The reason why corruption has had a free run till now is because of the want of willpower on the part of our politicians — the people whom we ourselves elect to the Lok Sabha — to put it down.

The basic issue then is: will our politicians never change? The more important question perhaps is: since it is the people of the republic who enable politicians to don the mantle of MPs, is there something wrong with ourselves that we have this penchant of sending to Parliament people who have no compunction in introducing nearly 190 amendments to stall the passage of the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha?

Clearly, once the people themselves are involved in the role of Dr Frankenstein, the problem becomes much more serious than it is ordinarily thought to be. Are we as Indians generally tolerant of corruption, to the extent that we don't hesitate to send to a State Assembly or Parliament someone who is similarly drifting in a sea of corrupt behaviour? If we are, then how do we get out of the current mould, the unstated assumption being that we should certainly do so in the interests of a “healthier” Indian society?

Assuming once again that every average citizen — especially the poor and the middle classes who form the bulk of the nation, and who have nothing to lose, in a manner of speaking — wants the scourge of corruption to be put down firmly, how does the nation go about it? This is the critical question which must be asked by every conscientious citizen, particularly after the Lokpal Bill fiasco in the Rajya Sabha.

NOT AMONGST KEY CHALLENGES

What makes things somewhat depressing is that the Prime Minister himself, a noted economist, who understands in some detail the workings of the national economy, doesn't rate the fight against corruption as a “key challenge” facing the country. This is what is indicated by his enumeration of the key challenges which he made in his New Year message to the nation.

The five key challenges Dr Singh listed were: the urgent challenge of eradicating poverty, hunger and illiteracy, and providing gainful employment to all; bolstering economic security; energy security; ecological security, including the challenge of controlling climate-change in the interests of protecting human life on the planet; and, of course, safeguarding national security. Dr Singh, as we said, is an economist, and his list of “challenges” amply reflects this. But, as an economist, is he prepared to accept the fact that each one of the sectors he has mentioned can be hit for a grand six if corruption takes its toll in the policy-framing and implementation process?

Further, the Prime Minister himself pointed out in his message that the principal target of the 1991 reforms package “was to liberate the creativity of every one of our citizens from the deadweight of bureaucracy and corruption”. Has this happened? If not, why not, and what is the UPA-2 Government going to do about it despite the fact that “concern about corruption (has) moved to the centrestage”.

Admittedly, Dr Singh did say that his Government “is committed to the enactment of an effective Lokpal Act”. Sadly, there is nothing novel about such an expression because such statements have been made by politicians habitually for as long as one can remember without anything concrete being done to check the cancer.

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