Curbing graft must be a consensual goal

The Opposition is under moral-constitutional obligation not to oppose any probe against its members. It ought to realise that presence of the corrupt anywhere in our system is detrimental to the interest of our entire na

The other day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches, in connection with a notorious land-for-job money laundering case, in over 24 locations in and around Delhi, Patna, Mumbai and Ranchi. According to reports, in these operations, the ED seized, among other things, over Rs 1 crore in cash, 540 gm of gold bullion, over 1.5 kg of gold jewellery and some highly incriminating documents. It found a four-storey bungalow, located at New Friends Colony, Delhi, and registered in the name of A.B. Exports Private Limited, owned by current Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and his family.

One hopes the Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would see to it that all such investigations into the cases of corruption in the country are conducted strictly and the culprits thereof brought to book. The government needs to accord priority attention to the cases of corruption involving high-profile politicians. Politicians form a crucial component of our present politico-administrative apparatus. There must be an absolutely zero-tolerance to corruption on the part of any of them. Like it or not, successive governments in post-colonial India have paid little attention to the need of keeping the corrupt out of our political system. In the process, many of our politicians have over the years come to amass mind-boggling wealth. This predicament must end. The presence of any corrupt element anywhere in our system constitutes a threat to the growth of our nation.

One of the most cherished goals of our Constitution is to create a welfare State. Our government must constantly move towards the realisation of this goal. In his famous treatise 'Arthashastra', Kautilya has rightly stressed that a corruption-free politico-administrative set-up is a must for the realisation of people's welfare, the ultimate goal of a king (leader). In order to develop an appropriate politico-administrative set-up, the government must focus on ensuring the quality of politicians in our country.

In a conversation with this journalist once, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Leila Seth rightly observed, "Ours is a parliamentary form of government. Herein our legislators make laws and elements among them only govern too. Unless our legislators are endowed with citizenship values (to serve the nation selflessly), little can be expected on the front of our nation's much-needed socio-economic transformation."

Observers say that since he came to power in 2014, Prime Minister Modi has been stressing the need to build a new, corruption-free India. According to an official statement, the ED has filed chargesheets in 888 cases and attached proceeds of crime worth Rs 99,356 crore under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA) between 2014 and 2022.

However, all is not well with the ongoing investigations into corruption cases in the country. There are allegations that the government is misusing ED, CBI and IT mainly against Opposition leaders. A total of 121 prominent politicians have been under ED probe since 2014. Of them, as many as 115 belong to the Opposition only. The raids have targeted critical media outlets, activists, NGOs, academics and intellectuals. Besides, our investigative agencies are not strict with allegedly corrupt elements within the ruling party or its allies.

The observers say the Modi government must objectively look into all such allegations and issue the appropriate directives to our investigative agencies. The government must spare no corrupt politician, including any in the ruling dispensation. The rule of law must take its course universally in our land. Doing so should not be difficult at all. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray once observed, "There is no dearth of personnel of competence and integrity in our investigative apparatus. We must encourage such elements to track the economic behaviour of our corrupt politicians."

The Modi government could also initiate necessary legislation to see to it that no corruption case keeps pending in our courts. According to the annual 2021 report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), nearly 6,700 corruption cases probed by the CBI had been subject to such trials for more than 20 years.

The observers, however, add that the Opposition is also under moral-constitutional obligation not to oppose any on-going corruption investigation against any of its members. It ought to realise that the presence of the corrupt anywhere in our system is being detrimental to the interest of our entire nation. Secondly, they should also be prepared to accept the fact that more graft cases against Opposition leaders may mean that they have the most corrupt ones in their ranks.

In contemporary India, curbing corruption must be a consensual goal across the party spectrum. In February 2017, delivering its judgement in the disproportionate assets case against V.K. Sasikala, her two relatives and late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, the Supreme Court has aptly described the crusade against corruption as a "mission". The court said, "Corruption is a vice of insatiable avarice for self-aggrandisement by the unscrupulous, taking unfair advantage of their power and authority... Every citizen has to be a partner in this sacrosanct mission, if we aspire for a stable, just and ideal social order as envisioned by our forefathers..."

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.