Here is your essay on Political Corruption in India:
It is well-known that a large number of politicians, not only in India, but almost in all countries are corrupt. People are never shocked when politician’s corruption is divulged. Honest politicians are a rare breed today. Ministers like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sardar Vallab Bhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, etc. are rare who had very little bank balance at the time of death.
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Money and politics have thus an “adulterous relationship”. In a democracy all political parties need money. While all political parties are guilty of seeking the support of trade and commerce and big business. All done only with the aim of rule on people or to be in ‘Power’ and for the fulfilment of this aim, they violate morals and ethical norms and evade law to gain political power.
Political corruption has become a dominant mode of corruption in modern time. Politicians try to rise and remain in power by any means right or wrong. Most of the corruption in politics is done at the time of election. Though, the limit has been drawn and election commission has been constituted to see that the limit is being observed, yet candidates spend money much beyond such limit officially specified by election commission.
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Many politicians are reported to file their nominations simply for obtaining quotas for diesel, petrol and paper, etc. which they sell to others at a higher price.
A huge sum of money is collected by the political parties and leaders, especially those of the ruling ones, in the name of contribution from big Industrialists, Businessman, for election and in return, the contributors multiply their income by making profit out of the licences and tenders, obtained with the help of their political allies, during or after the election.
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The politicians offer their influence to corrupt Bureaucrats and help them to escape from hands to prosecution after committing any deviance and in return Bureaucrats can do anything for politicians.
Politicians always interfere in the work of police and other criminal administrations and so because of interference of politicians. Once the political influence, interference enters into police department, it paralyses the police arm and because of such acts of politicians, Police Officers become dishonest, inefficient and corrupt.
Politicians also benefit by creating artificial shortage and raising prices of consumer goods and the leaders find themselves helpless to take action against them.
Money is poured into election and votes are purchased, booth capturing, compulsory voting are also practiced by corrupt politicians to remain in power.
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Politicians not only resort to corrupt means and keep their option open for deflection to get others defected. In their favour they justify their such unscrupulous acts that these are being done only till they strengthen their political position and become able to purify the public life. People do not know how long they will take to become strong enough to purify the public service as well as the politics.
A Government which has no ideology and specific principles and relies partially or fully on corruption to gain or retain power can never be able to extradicate corruption from society and purify the public as well as the political life.
The close relationship between white collar criminals and Political Leadership can be demonstrated by number of above similar instances. Such people’s representatives sell their political identities, commitments and people’s confidence for petty advantage.
Defection in the name of voice of inner conscience has become a most fascinating tool in the hands of politicians, for making their future from many years. They defect within no time for the lust of money, power and position. Elected members for assemblies and parliament have been seen to defect for more than ten times over a days, and night. Only for their personal advantage, earning political position and power and thereby making money.
According to Santhanam Committee’s Recommendations, Politicians are one of the important sources of corruption in our day to day life. A code of conduct of ministers is prescribed for including the provisions suggested for public servants, relating to acquisition of property.
Commission of Inquiry Act is implemented by our Government to cope up with the problem of growing corruption in politics but the menace of corruption has even entered into such commission. Also such commissions of Inquiry sometimes have been made on account of political rivary between the parties and used as a weapons by politicians.
Many efforts of Government fail to eliminate corruption from political life. In 1993, Vohra committee was set up by our Government to study corruption in India (By taking stock of the links between Government functionaries and political personalities and crime syndicates and mafia) and the committee in its report exposed the nexus between the criminal world with the politicians, which now pose a serious threat even to our national security and also reported that some parliamentarians and state assembly members have come into political power through the leadership of gangs and armed groups (sena’s).
The politicians have good relations and friendship with underworld dons.
Previously, the white collar criminals were having close nexus with politicians and underworld. But now they are themselves turning into politicians for white collar bribery in connection with purchases, supplies, contracts the enforcement of regulations and enactments.
There are numerous instances where mostly Chief Ministers, Ministers, Leaders holding important political positions, Bureaucrats and big businessman, who are reported to be involved in various scams.
Some of important such scams which shows us clear picture of political corruptions are Kairon Case 1964, Cement Scandal in 1982 involving Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Plot Scandal in 1988-89 again involved Chief Minister of Maharashtra Hawala Scandal of 1991, which not only rocked the political circle but in fact the whole society. The payoff scandal in 1995 and the recent Adarsh society scandal or telecom scandal.
The numbers of such scandals are more but it is not possible to mention each and every but from aforesaid few scandals we can say that there is an unprecedented expansion of political corruption in India which bursts upon the Nation’s conscience and hits newspaper headlines every day.
So finally it is concluded that, today in reality the crisis that our society is facing is the crisis of values, morals and ethics.
And we are in danger of getting used by such dishonest, corrupt politicians.
Though it is true and everyone knows that politicians involved in scams, scandals, but nothing tangible has been done in uncovering, tracing, apprehending, prosecuting and punishing them and they become free from the hands of prosecution on the plea of “inadequate evidence” because again political influence and interference was seen at all stages from investigation to the stage of adjudication of that corrupt politician.
So it is recommended that setting up of an agency to collect information from all agencies and take immediate, effective and deterrent action against the crime syndicates, smuggling gangs, and economic lobbies in the country which have over the years, developed an extensive network of contacts with the Government.
Functionaries and Bureaucrats at the local level and politicians and media persons at the state and central levels.
At the present scenario political corruption is one of the common phenomenon and has increased in size and so it is true that:
“When democracy becomes corrupt, the best gravitates to the bottom, the worst floats to the top and the vice is replaced by more vice”.