Dear Modi Ji,
If demonetisation is a war on corruption, it is only through financial means. Corruption may have other moral, legal, ethical, and/or spiritual manifestations. Let me elaborate a bit.
Long ago, I read a fable penned by Hindi writer Munshi Premchand called Namak ka Daroga. The story, set in pre-independence India, tells the story of a man who loses his government for refusing to accept bribes.
The social backdrop was more important than the moral of the story. It was about people’s perception of the protagonist who refused to be swayed or overpowered by the might of money. Everyone, including his father, considered him a fool. It was a story of a system that we inherited and one that shaped our behaviour towards corruption.
‘The Accepted Norm’
One of my relatives cleared the UPSC civil service examination over a decade ago with an enviable under thirty rank all over India. During the interview, he was asked about his opinion on the issue of corruption. He responded by saying that it was a socially accepted standard. The answer was lauded even by our family members.
Further, I distinctly remember reading in a newspaper that a minister, in the present Uttar Pradesh government, was heard giving diktats to babus in the state that accepting a bribe was “fine”, as long as it is not excessive. This ‘social practice’ has been given government sanction for a very long time.
Can legislation or an executive action dare to go against this ‘culture’? Is it safe to say that a bribe or other forms of black money accumulation are now part of the Indian culture, given the antiquity and overwhelming support for it?
Inherently Corrupt or Trapped?
Is black money accumulation part of our culture, given the apparent support for it?
This further proposes two questions: First, are we inherently corrupt, or trapped in a system that nurtures and rewards corruption? And secondly, is democracy to be held responsible because it is unsuitable for Indians, as unpopular decisions would be counterproductive for political parties and anti-corruption drives?
The answer is ‘no’. Let’s see how.
Prime Minister Modi must be congratulated as he has offered academicians of various disciplines an opportunity to analyse the monumental empirical research data on the behaviour of Indians regarding their take on anti-corruption measures.
Modi dared to gamble with his political capital. After all, he was labelled a camera-hungry event manager and an attention-seeking populist with a divisive approach towards politics, who came to power riding the corporate horses. His election was nothing but shrewd management skills and advertisements. People were sedated with such gigantic exercises for garnering political support.
Essence of a Democracy
How can one expect support after unbearable hardship has been inflicted upon the people? Especially when details of Modi’s close aides being informed in advance of the demonetisation move emerged.
The most expensive commodity in the present world is trust. He restored our trust in politics and politician.
China would never think of democratic means in its fight against graft. However, India proved otherwise. You don’t eliminate people, you transform them. That is a democracy. Empowered or weak, educated or illiterate, people from all walks of life become part of the nation-building process despite electing parties of various ideologies.
‘Mera Bharat Mahaan’
Conflicting ideologies do not mean a weak state, as it draws its strength from its people. Hence, Indian democracy has won, and has won decisively. Irrespective of the political outcome, in 2017 or 2019, the mere fact that people are braving heat, cold, lathi-charge and long hours in the queue and not charging against the government is the strength of a democracy.
No, we are not a corrupt lot but we are chained – mentally and physically – in a system that rewarded such behaviour.
I am not saying a complete corruption-free system is possible. But a drive to clean it up by making it more transparent, accountable and empowered by the people, can be institutionalised.
Remember the famous line on the rears of trucks, buses and autos – “100 mein se 99 beimaan, phir bhi mera bharat mahaan”?
It’s time to remove it from the psyche of our new generation by proclaiming “100 mein 92 rakhte imaan, isliye mera bharat mahaan”. (Narendra Modi app survey revealed said that 92 percent of the respondents agreed that the demonetisation move will curb black money and corruption).
Regards,
Abhishek Mishra
(Read more letters addressed to Dear Modi Ji... here.)
(The writer is an author of the book Indian Capital Market: Legal Regime and currently a PhD fellow at Albrecht Mendelssohn Bartholdy Graduate School of Law, University of Hamburg. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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