Letter: Cascading corruption

This refers to T N Ninan’s Weekend Ruminations “Goodies for the deserving” (April 2). Ninan’s mention of the three candidates – MPs, Sharad Pawar and Vijay Mallya – who deserve goodies from the government was apt. The plain truth today is that corruption has become institutionalised. The babu-politician-businessman troika has formed a safe and symbiotic back-scratching ecosystem.

The less said about the MP local area development (MPLAD) scheme, the better. The mad scramble to become a sarpanch these days reveals how mendacity has seeped to the grassroots.

The agenda of poverty alleviation has acquired a whole new meaning for MPs, it’s completely directed towards their own aggrandisement. This is a complete mockery of democracy and local self-governance.

It is no wonder then that the society of the day will reflect the infirmity of the leadership, after all, yatha raja tatha praja (the subjects will emulate the king).

The venality in the system starts at the very top and cascades all the way down. It is of little surprise that politicians and industrialists are lining their own pockets at the expense of the taxpayer who works hard to make ends meet. The ruling class of the day hides its ineptitude behind the constraints of coalition politics. If this is not kalyuga, what is?

Dushyant Singh Panwar, on email