Isn’t it strange that the same middle class who ‘invented’ corruption to get their work done faster (from driving license to property tax) is now the voice of anti corruption in India. Its okay to take/give a Gandhi (worth 100) but a lakh Gandhis ? strict no no ! Those who have never paid a bribe and always stand in a queue in India please raise your hands !
Hypocrites !
I am totally for a bill which would help catch those scamsters. But would it solve the problem? Are you ethically right to assume the role of a anti corruption agent when you have a paid a bribe for things like gas connection. Driving licese. Or even paid the cop because he caught you drunk and driving?
Lets solve the issue at the root level. Yes most of the traffic policemen are corrupt. You give them a bribe they accept it, you give it because you just jumped a signal and would be more than happy to pay the policeman 50 bucks than the government 100Rs.
Are you willing to change ? Would all our people change? I think privatization and computerization would help solve these at the grass root level.
Lets say they are like an independent body with no tax payers money funding them. How do they sustain? With the fines they collect. How are they going to do that? Lets install cameras everywhere. Let the cops be treated like employees of big organizations. Let them be rated, promoted. Let their hikes be dependent on the work they do. You would get your ticket via email with the picture of your offence. Pay it using your credit card or at the ATM or send a cheque. If you want to challenge it, let the matter go to the courts.
Now for those who blame Raja as the most corrupt individual should be first checking if they are ethically correct if they do that. Let say we have 5M people in Bangalore alone. Out of which 1M have a 25Lakh house. While buying the property most of us don’t pay property tax/ other taxes correctly we cheat on the value of the property. Let say each property owes the governemnt 2L. But have paid only half of it, by bribing the Tax department and showing the property value less.
We owe the government 1,000,000 X 100,000 = 100,000,000,000 Rupees !
This is only a representative figure. And then you say Raja is the most corrupt individual .The middle class in India collectively is the most corrupt ones in our country and the cost the goverment Zillions !
THE CRAPBOOK 
I couldn’t agree more with you. I have the exact point of view and was thinking to write about it and you did the needful with the exact matter!
🙂 thanks
I agee 🙂 though the corporates are very corrupt as well..
Thats true, but I guess it would sort out the delay and bureaucracy involved.
Bingo! This is what I always say, especially those ‘holier-than-thou’ crusaders against corrupt politicians. These hypocrites think it is fine to bribe a TTE on a train to get a berth, because, “Hey, it is just 500 bucks! And I have back pain!” These candle burning people should first think about them. And then shout slogans!
very well said… people like Raja come out of the same society we have made and live in.
Hands raised (you said “Those who have never paid a bribe and always stand in a queue in India please raise your hands !”)
I’ve never bribed or been bribed in my life 🙂 The husband and I was caught once when we took a turn to a one-way road (for the record, that was our daily route — and in the mornning, it wasnt made a one-way yet, and by evening, a board had come up! so, it was quite by accident.) Anyway, the policeman said he’ll either fine us 300, or we can get away with a 50; i told him i’m ready to pay 50, if he’s ready to gimme a receipt for that. of course, he refused 😉 SO i said i’d gladly pay 300. He was soooo not amused 😀
i know i’ve spent way too much money for not being corrupt, than i would’ve if i were to hand over afew gandhis under the table. But well, just cant seemt o do it.
but yes, agree with you. we really need to start at the root of an issue.
People, not for our country, but for sake of this girl, stop corruption… or she will end bankrupt someday 😀
p.s. keep it up Priya 😀
HI Xylene .. i dont agree with you, middle class corruption is minor and stems from the injustice and inequality they face . They are softest of targets. Without the small bribes their life will grind to a halt
cause the corrupt babu would never be sacked ,,, There is a minority like scorpia …
They are essentially the most honest bunch as Indians are overtaxed, there is no social security the govt constantly devalues the currency with inflation and worse even if u are honest u need to bribe to speed up work. or claim ur income tax refund.. U cannot take a macro look … Try comparing rajas corruption with that of a single middle class person … quantum matters. Middle class are a fragmented minority which does not count during elections.
Why do they bribe a tte ? because they are frustrated by the system which they have given up on, and they know will not change because of the system.
because the system wants to keep fares low, reserve 50% of tickets for various quotas, gives the tte discretionary powers, runs at perpetual losses without accountability and worse there is a nexus between ticket checkers Ticketmaster and the agents….
I agree that one has to change for the system to change, but no single or small collective of individuals can change a system that has refined corruption for 4 decades…
there is no wrong if people like anna want to jumpstart change in a system, which has corrupted since Indira gandhi who literally consolidated power and put in the license permit system of top down rule and zero accountability.
The rich and the corporates are far far more corrupt . do u know how loans turn into npas? .. worse are the politicians and bureaucrats.
True agree. My point was why is this so bad in our country? Is it the system? Nope, its the people. We have it in our blood, it would be hard to accept, but its true.
Sorry it is not all in the blood .. Adjustment is in Indian blood
People adjust and adjust and then there is a riot when they cant adjust anymore.
Travel in a Virar fast in mumbai, or a general dabba of a long distance train The wagon is filled up 300% , and people are ingenious at adjusting .. sometimes tempers flare and there is a big rada ….!
People have given up fighting …
Because they dont see light at the end of the tunnel ..
No wonder people criticize Anna Hazare for his dharnas … because they are reconciled to the fact that nothing will change in this counry
ps i just posted .. can anyone rationally believe that raja was the sole beneficiary?
I think a whole bunch of politicians benefited … and raja escaping unhurt will be ample proof of that
Okay lets say its adjustment. How would we justify the fact that none
of us pay actual property tax?
How can we justify the fact that we never wait for our turn in a
system called queue and want things faster hence ready to pay for it?
Also known as bribe?
We are far behind the west in terms of culture. We need to be more civilized.
Being more civlized means lesser corruption at individual level.
Consider this a constable level cop in USA is not corrupt and u cannot
just pay him off if caught for speeding. That’s at individual lelvel.
And we cannot blaim the system. It should start with oneself.
Lokpal is not going to help, thats like another level of bureaucracy!
Which itself would become corrupt in a while like the CBI unless its a
bunch of honest officials and if we have that why dont we just hire
them as cbi?
Have u gone to greece and italy? they are as notorious at not paying taxes…
Worse the babus there tell people not to bother … as there is too much paperwork involved
Google swimming pool tax greece
You dont pay if u can get away with it … simple as that
We were a lot more cultured and civilized before western rules and values were imposed on us by british.
Only that it was local culture not imported. We follow british moral culture of the early 1900s Now with kala sahibs things are worse.
Many people do wait … have u noticed … not everyone can afford speed money or bribe as u define it…
Thanks to rti things have improved a lot.
lets get real here .. small man can only change so much … Rules are made by the rulers and if they are not serious about implementing them or following them ,,chaos prevails …read Confucius