I remember my first bribe… I didn’t break any law, yet I paid my bribe to the police officer who came for passport verification at Nehru Centenary Girls Hostel, CEG. I was quite thrilled about getting a passport and the possibilities of future travel. The police verification, a mandate routine, is first experience with corruption. Manoj came to the lab asking me to get to hostel office as this officer is waiting. Arunan was also there. I showed my student ID to this officer – Mercy does exist and that she is a student. I was naïve enough to believe it was all done until he asked me “Fees?” I was like “Will you give me a receipt and how much? I didn’t read about this fee in passport applying process…” Arunan stopped me before I went further and gave Rs.200 to that police officer. That is how I was initiated into Indian system of corruption.
Corruption in recent past has gone from modest hundreds to billions of dollars. I was actually thinking our ex-CM Yeddyurappa as a poor bloke – “when people are squandering in billions he is snatching just 60x40 residential plots in Bangalore…” Hegde report on the mining scandal tells me otherwise. Every single penny is hard-earned – I’ve lost sleep or had Visual Studio infested dreams, had repetitive stress injuries, and skipped meals to get my salary. I also pay horrible taxes while somebody just whisk away in a blink of an eye to Swiss banks. Mass gatherings and protests outside is a collective anger of entire nation that has been suppressed or conveniently ignored for years. I’m glad that we are expressing it in a non-violent way. How does government react to it?
• Hiding behind “policemen” - PM has numerous important tasks in his office ruling the country and he doesn’t know the arrest of an old man. Lately his only answer has been “I don’t know or I’m not aware”. What work does he actually do? Is there a provision in RTI to ask for daily workload of PM?
• Hiding behind “technicalities” - Chidambaram says “People can ask for anything… but ONLY Parliament has the right to make a law”. Forgive me for the insolence – isn’t India the largest democracy in the world? I’ve the audacity to believe what they taught in school - democracy is “by the people, for the people, and of the people”.
• Hiding behind “external forces” – United States is plotting to destabilize the government of India. I think United States has enough trouble right now with poor employment ratio, debt crisis, losing credit rating, and stock market tumbling that has forced Obama to get into a bus. If Obama could strategize all this in his bus ride, he could have very well saved his own country. I’m quite surprised why they have not talked about Pakistan yet.
• Talking “nonsense” – I heard some Congress spokesman on TV that “this issue doesn’t include ALL people – where are Dalits, BCs, OBCs, Christians, and Muslims?” This issue hasn’t covered only one group of people – corrupt politicians and officials. Other than this group, people from every walk of life are out there protesting. Congress Party is in a serious need of good spokesmen… I actually get rashes in my skin just listening to their nonsense.
Corruption in recent past has gone from modest hundreds to billions of dollars. I was actually thinking our ex-CM Yeddyurappa as a poor bloke – “when people are squandering in billions he is snatching just 60x40 residential plots in Bangalore…” Hegde report on the mining scandal tells me otherwise. Every single penny is hard-earned – I’ve lost sleep or had Visual Studio infested dreams, had repetitive stress injuries, and skipped meals to get my salary. I also pay horrible taxes while somebody just whisk away in a blink of an eye to Swiss banks. Mass gatherings and protests outside is a collective anger of entire nation that has been suppressed or conveniently ignored for years. I’m glad that we are expressing it in a non-violent way. How does government react to it?
• Hiding behind “policemen” - PM has numerous important tasks in his office ruling the country and he doesn’t know the arrest of an old man. Lately his only answer has been “I don’t know or I’m not aware”. What work does he actually do? Is there a provision in RTI to ask for daily workload of PM?
• Hiding behind “technicalities” - Chidambaram says “People can ask for anything… but ONLY Parliament has the right to make a law”. Forgive me for the insolence – isn’t India the largest democracy in the world? I’ve the audacity to believe what they taught in school - democracy is “by the people, for the people, and of the people”.
• Hiding behind “external forces” – United States is plotting to destabilize the government of India. I think United States has enough trouble right now with poor employment ratio, debt crisis, losing credit rating, and stock market tumbling that has forced Obama to get into a bus. If Obama could strategize all this in his bus ride, he could have very well saved his own country. I’m quite surprised why they have not talked about Pakistan yet.
• Talking “nonsense” – I heard some Congress spokesman on TV that “this issue doesn’t include ALL people – where are Dalits, BCs, OBCs, Christians, and Muslims?” This issue hasn’t covered only one group of people – corrupt politicians and officials. Other than this group, people from every walk of life are out there protesting. Congress Party is in a serious need of good spokesmen… I actually get rashes in my skin just listening to their nonsense.
0 comments:
Post a Comment