PM touched by 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'

New Delhi, Nov 17 (UNI) Prime Minister today lauded the depiction of corruption in public life by Raj Kumar Hirani's 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', a film which brought into renewed focus the continued relevance of Gandhian principles as a solution to problems in Modern India.

During his keynote address to the conference of CBI and satte anti-corruption bureaus here today, Dr Singh, referring to corruption in public services, said,''when I recently watched the popular Hindi movie, 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', the one incident that touched me most was the ordeal of a senior citizen trying to get his pension without having to pay a bribe.'' The Prime Minister said the above scene in the Sanjay Dutt-starrer, which shows Munnabhai presenting Gandhian solutions to problems of the common man as a radio jockey, beautifully reflected the corruption in the prevailing system.

''In stripping his clothes, as an act of protest, this pensioner was stripping our system, exposing the ugly nakedness of the self-aggrandisement of those who man our institutions of governance.

Any system in which a retired senior citizen is required to pay a bribe to secure his legitimate dues is a most despicable system.

''Such corruption must be visited by the sternest action to reform, restructure and rejuvenate the system. The very legitimacy of the State and its various institutions is brought into question by such illegal exercise of power and authority,''the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister saw 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' at a special screening in the capital recently and came out highly impressed by the film.

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