India Behind The Lens (News Centre)

Janata Party president Dr. Subramanian Swamy today called for a war on corruption in India. Corruption, Swamy said, had reached mind-boggling levels, as seen in the money illegally appropriated in the Satyam, CWG and 2G spectrum scams. He drew a connection between corruption and the state of the nation’s financial health, stressing that corruption has affected badly the rate of growth of India’s economy. Swamy was addressing a seminar organised by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Chandigarh.

Swamy said that “the most acceptable estimates” of the loss to the national exchequer as a result of corruption ran into lakhs of crores. “One of the worst problems with corruption in India is the creation of black money — money used in such transactions is unreported, it is neither taxed nor is spent openly. It travels to secret bank accounts abroad or, worse, is used by the corrupt to indulge in gross luxurious consumption and bribery.” Swamy said. “Black money also funds election and hence
there is no accounting.”

Swamy said that only if there is a harmonization of material pursuits and spiritual advancement in human beings, can society be made healthy. Several presentations were made at the seminar, suggesting strategies to combat corruption. There was a need for a new breed of Indian leaders — educated, courageous and rational risk takers — it was argued.

Air Marshal (retd) R S Bedi said that to remove corruption, an efficient use of resources, human and physical hardware and software, by an ably and spiritually guided and ethically organized leadership working within the framework of competitive market economies must be the goal.

Swamy called for support to the anti-corruption movement and the people leading it.