Coping with the aftermath of a massive scam

Frankly, most Indians believe that PM is personally clean. But he is also a weak leader and is allowing fraud and corruption under his nose... for the sake of his own chair, and for the diktat and needs of Madam Gandhi and her congress party.

Congress Party of India is political mafia. They have been in this business of corruption, scandals, license raj, family rule for over 50 years. The only thing they were good at till now was winning elections. However, they are losing this competitive advantage as more & more people in India become educated.

Corrupt politicians need to face more than just the sack. Their ill-gotten gains (including those passed to relatives) need to be totally confiscated. Send them to the very slums that their corruption creates and maintains.

Sonia Gandhi lamenting about corruption is like the pot calling the kettle black. The woman whose husband was the Don behind Bofors and whose connivance in Quattrochi going scot free could start by giving up her fsmily'd ill gotten wealth.

India has reached a stage where all the political parties are corrupt and no one has the moral right to accuse the other party as corrupt.In the recently concluded Bihar elections, more than 50% of the elected legislators are with some criminal record and 20% belong to the super rich(worth more than 10000000 Rs)This is a sad state of Indian democracy and the truth is that nobody can make it the state assembly or Parliament without a bagful of money or links with some Mafia.Mahatma Gandhi,Nehru and JP must be moving in their graves( luckily they were all cremated)

Sure, it feels great to talk about the unearthing of scams and formation of inquiry commissions. But, can anyone tell me how many politicians have ever been convicted for ANY misdemeanor? The Congress Party (read Sonia Gandhi) seems to think that by relieving a person of his official post is good enough to claim a moral high-ground.

The role of media related personalities needs to be probed. None of the print and electronic media companies are avoiding this for very obvious reasons. Except Outlook (www.outlookindia.com).

The Economist needs to exhibit more depth and pragmatism in its articles. Not merely re-hash a beaten story.

KICHAMANI - Please do not use the tainted brush of Congress-Lalu corruption to BJP/NDA. If a state totally run by not only corrupt, but thugs in all government offices and public positions, only recourse for a good guys is to go with the flow or have family on streets. In such environment good guys reluctantly go with the flow until a leader stands up and provides strong direction. BJP/NDA has picked up good guys who may have 'some' taint due to survival instincts in intense environment. Why should you believe? PEOPLE can see through this and know the difference between promises and actual results. After 50 years women can walk on the street in dark with fear in both Gujarat and Bihar. With all the inuendo of corruption or massacres can be seen in democratic results where Congress has been totally wiped clean in both Gujarat and Bihar...

What I would like to see us what the 1.3B Chinese and 1.3B Muslims have been going: either execution or shariah amputations. Also, there should be a REWARD for bona fide whistle blowers. Access to Swiss Bank Accounts should be prohibited. I frankly respect the Chinese method of a very swift public execution.

YES, since the 1960s, India has been losing much of her innocence, imitating her rulers. A simple but ancient Samskrit saying goes: "Like the ruler, (are) his or her citizens" [ Yatha Raja thatha prajah ]

I believe the first generation of (independent) India's leaders, understood the meaning of official and personal integrity. They had observed British officials and their methods.

After the days of corrupt money-grabbing East India Company officials, such as Robert Clive and Warren Hastings, the aristocratic English and Scots who led the British Raj, had no monetary ambitions for themselves or their families. Since the 1890s, the Victorians worked for the 'Empire' not for their personal profit.

THE BITTER TRUTH

After the 1960s, India's ruling elite expanded well beyond the first generation of leaders. They, the 'new generation' of leaders, surprisingly, reverted to old medieval habits, prevalent before the British Raj.. 'bakshees and bribery'!!!

These new power-wielders could live comfortably with a double life - 'posing in public' as 'socialists with bleeding hearts for India's poor' but in fact acting and living medieval India's elitist way of life.

It is this hypocrisy that is upsetting. They loved the illicit and ill-gotten wealth, even if it was fairly clear how it was damaging the country.

Imagine a bunch of Congress Party operatives going for 'hanky panky' deals when the entire country is going to be on show during the Commonwealth Games. Congress Party operatives have been 'active' in India's Cricket Boards as well.

Where there is money... you will find a Congress Party rep., there.

In the process, 'political slogans', talk of social reform, abolition of caste and other inequities - all were used in a cynical way to get elected. Their all talk stopped.

The party to which 'Spectrum Raja' belongs, the DMK, has ruled Tamil Nadu on the basis of a dubious racial theory, anti-Hinduism, anti-brahminism all part of its 'posture' as a 'revolutionary' party. A careful examination of its track record shows it has always been CORRUPT.

Some of the leaders of this DMK party, a close ally of the Congress Party, are said to be amongst the richest families in the WHOLE OF ASIA (including China). All their posturing has profited them handsomely.

With one or two notable exceptions, India's rulers, mostly of the Congress Party, have spent most of whatever intelligence they had on how to STAY IN POWER by 'hook or by crook'. Nothing noticeably intelligent in any of the 'socio-economic reforms' that I am impressed with.

INDIA'S WEAKNESS

Make the simplest of rules, both Indian bureaucrats and the Public will abuse the rules. Bureaucrats will make it as hard as it is possible for the honest to comply, while several members of the Public will try to 'jump the queue', 'get double advantages', 'produce fake documents' and so on.

A ruthless and clear insight into the INTER-FACE between rules, bureaucrats and the Public is called for.

INDIANS, like many other Asians, CANNOT HANDLE RULES for a fair outcome. No wonder the best of legal systems is gradually dying, despite excellent JUDGES AND LAWYERS in India.

The Congress Party never understood this insight. Kept piling up rules over rules.

Consequence - CORRUPTION. It has been going on for at least FOUR DECADES.

The average Indian, the 'man / woman in the street' must WAKE UP. Systematically throw out parties that are corrupt of some of the parties currently ruling them.

Dr. Manmohan Singh is NOT going to come out of this smelling sweet. To many 'cognocenti' of Indian politics, it is clear that 'Spectrum Raja' HAS NOT ACTED ALONE.

To many in the right circles, Spectrum Raja's resignation smells of a 'cover up', similar to the 'Bofors' scandal.

"Snap the chord, use the Central Bureau of Investigation' to befuddle, push papers through the courts, drag the proceedings for a few years, until Quottorocchi and the money is safely away. By then, other scandals would be in the news, people would have forgotten this one."

India's Supreme Court and India's free press are the only TWO avenues to help Indians to learn the TRUTH.

What is rotten? At long last, it appears that the materialistic Injuns are becoming like their Yanks mentors. Jai Hinduja.

Paging friendsOfIndia

Sonia Gandhi is sounding holy by talking of "shrinking moral universe" in India. The Nehru Gandhi family has been misruling the country for over 5 decades. The "Moral universe " of India has not shrunk but through active press, judiciary, opposition the congress corruption is being exposed. It is shameless audacity on the part of Sonia Gandhi to talk of moral values

Well, freedom isn't free, sometimes you need to spend a little money to enjoy democracy.

It's time we Indians asked what democracy has delivered for us. Our current progress is despite the democratic framework not because of it. MLA/MP's are all corrupt and incompetent irrespective of party. We need to create a new system of governance in which people with a track record of achievement in any space - business, sport, social are appointed as task leaders with fixed objectives, tenure and deliverables starting from grassroots municipal level right to the top where someone like Mr. Tata leads the nation.
A people's rule but without the career politician or bureaucrat.

Dear Economist:

I don't know whether to feel ashamed about all this corruption in the country or be happy that at least some of it is coming out in the open and may help clean us up. The media was something we were confident of but consider the Barkhagate scam involving our 'most' respected journos and opinion-makers selling out their views to industrialists.

Sad sad sad.

P.S.: Why aren't you doing a cover on the Barkhagate scam? Please do - (http://barkhagate.blogspot.com/)

.....I remember what our imperialistic masters told us correct me I think it was Lord Curzon who was Viceroy in 1905-10 ....he said that Indians breed are one of the most corrupt that mankind has ever seen and this is the biggest opportunistic gain that can benefit them to easily dominate them....

Indians I think have accepted corruption as way of their life and this is the not-corrupt that faces threat of being socially outcasted...

I think the religious belief also buttresses this mental attitude as Hinduism is vaguely interpreted and advocated that commit as much sin as you can and there is always a way out to wash off that....and in this finally there is benefit of those priestly class....disgusting

As Indian and Hindu I feel that we are a class that believes in next-birth and I would pray to god that do not let me reborn in this land called India -a land full of hypocrisy....

What the west views as rotten corruption in India is not different from the value-add services that lobbyists and special interest reps bring to influence government decisions.

Suppose the government did raise the $40 billion through proper auctioning. Who will pay for it? The consumer. India's consumers today have one of the cheapest mobile phone services.

I am not condoning the corrupt actions of Raja and his secretaries -- they may have stashed away some kickbacks in a foreign country. That whole Karunanidhi family is beyond the pale. The Dravidian Party DMK's longstanding motto is summarized in three words that begin with K (Ka in Tamil): Kadamai (Duty), Kanniyam (Humility), and Kattupadu (Discipline). The Karunanidhi family is all about enriching themselves. They lead a minority government in the state of Tamil Nadu with Congress support while the Congress leads a minority national government with the DMK's support. It is a shame that all the CEOs of western companies do not hesitate to pose with the corrupt and bigoted man Karunanidhi when he allocates land for their factories or office buildings.

The state of Tamil Nadu will benefit with a new party. The DK, DMK, and AIADMK and Congress should all be thrown out.

well. politics is complicated. but an disappointing truth, corruption does occur in nearly every countries.

"Kautilya says, for a king severe with the rod, becomes source of terror, the king mild with the rod, is despised, the king just with the rod, is honoured"

Mr. Manmohan Singh did little to check corruption evolving right under his nose, I see no reason why he shouldn't be blamed for his inactions?! Was he not hailed for the 1991 reforms, why should he escape criticisms for not being able to control corruption? There is no one in the world who has not done both good and evil, and one has to bear the consequence of their actions.

As far as sacking of the Ministers are concerned it is just a sham, parliamentarians are playing these games since very long time it is very convenient for them to sack a minister and reinstate him once the dirt is settled, they have just lost their offices for some time but all the entitlements and their comforts are being taken care off at taxpayers expense if an ordinary citizen would have been caught for doing such heinous crimes he would loose his job, face trial and had his bank account and other financial assets seized but it is very unfortunate for India that it’s ministers would not have to go through all these troubles, and I assure you the same media and the people who are criticizing them would stick around them in matter of few days Indian's forgive and forget the inactions of thier ministers easily and are thus openly fooled by them.

Wonder why the International communities and great nations of the world are silent on this, why don’t they pressurize India to curtail corruption? All they worry about is trade relations and free markets, they are equally to be blamed and cannot escape from the curse of the poor who are getting adversely affected by this social evil, someone’s share is being snatched away for somebody’s gain as the income disparity widens. Only beneficiaries of growth in India are its Corporations, Bureaucrats its politicians and its middle class (employed).