Corrupt Indian MPs caught red-handed

According to Indian media reports, a web-site, in an ambitions programme named "operation Durjodhana", showed eleven members of Parliament (MPs) receiving cash as bribes to raise questions in the parliament to serve the interests of certain vested quarters. Following this big catch, in another sting-operation, conducted by Star News channel, seven MPs were seen on camera, demanding or accepting bribes for sanctioning projects under the central government for local development, called MPs Local Area Development (MPLAD), launched in 1993 by the then PM Narasimha Rao, under which each MP gets annually Rs 2 crore to finance small development projects in their respective constituencies. Whatever might have been the objective of Rao's scheme, it had gradually become a big source for corrupt practices, because under the scheme, the funds are channalled by the MPs to the contractors who, on their part, re-channeling a high-rate of 'kick-backs' to the MPs. The scheme seems to have become rotten and smells rat from top to bottom because of the misuse of parliamentary privileges or rights by the MPs. The tragedy is that the 'black sheep' netted by the hidden web-site cameras belong to both the parties who now rule the country by turn. So the shameful exposure of illegal activities of the MPs had tarred the faces of both the parties before the people.

"Rot" must be "cleansed"
The startling revelation had not only stunned the Indian people but had also created a sensation abroad, particularly, the Asian region, who have a great respect for the Indian democracy as the largest in the world. That is why a Federal government Minister in his reaction, had said that this system of allocation of development funds for local projects was now "rotten to the core". He wondered how India was going to survive "as a democracy", unless it had "cleansed" the "rot".

As the first step, the Indian parliament had already expelled eleven MPs for receiving bribes for raising questions to serve certain vested interests. This is for the second time, during the last five decades, that law makers were expelled from parliament for their un-parliamentary activities. Earlier, as far back as 1954, a member of the Indian Lok Shabha (Lower House), was expelled for accepting bribe from a business firm for propagating its cause.

In fact, it is a life and death question for Indian democracy to survive as a spotless parliamentary system. Hence mere expulsion of corrupt MPs won't serve the purpose. They deserve more severe and exemplary punishment for the sake of democracy as a forewarning to those who would like cross the sea of corruption for the sake of money -- they are culprits in true sense of the term.

What Tahelka web-site did?
In this context we may recall what had happened in 2001, when for the first time in India's history high-ups of India's Defence Ministry were caught red-handed a web-site hidden camera, showing them participating in a huge 'deal' with a fictitious firm to buy defence materials. That web-site, known as 'Tahelka.com' created a sensation throughout India with bouquets for it.

The adventurous operation against the Defence Ministry high-ups was done by two news reporters belonging to Tahelka, by posing as defence materials contractors, representing a London-based company, named 'West End'. It is really amazing how the Tahelka web-site could lay such a 'mouse-trap' to catch the greedy 'rats.' These 'rats' were so well-seasoned in this easy money-making game that they couldn't think that they were being covered by hidden camera. Perhaps they had been engaged for a pretty long time in this 'game' of looting millions of rupees in the name of purchasing defence materials for the defence of the country, thereby befooling their patriotic people in general.

The two Tahelka reporters -- Annradha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, had to handle the 'hot pot' very cautiously, spending, not days or week, but months, pretending to be genuine contractors. They were at last successful in pushing a fake $870,000 worth of 'arms deal', while taking secret shots of transactions and conversations. What punishment had ultimately been meted out to the culprits by the defence ministry or the central government was not immediately known but it was hoped that they had been death with properly.

Any way, when the secretly shot film was shown in Delhi in March 2001, it not only shook the Defence Ministry to its bone but also the Indian government, then run by BJP, with Vajpayee as Prime Minister. As they say, “England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity.” So when Vajpayee was facing the fire in 2001, the Congress leaders were enjoying the last laugh. But the recent exposures of dishonest MPs of making money behind the screen had happened under the nose of the Congress government, headed by Manmohan Singh. Now that Congress was in deep water, BJP should have taken the revenge. But they couldn't do so, because this time of the trapped 'rats' almost half belong to BJP. So the black sheep are everywhere. No political party, therefore, can show a clean slate to the people.

What about Bangladesh?
Now, in the context of signals coming across the border, the question that haunts the people is: What about Bangladesh which has already created world record by capturing the first position in successfully crossing the turbulent sea of corruption, defeating some 145 countries, developed and developing, consecutively for five years!

It is a sad story. Perhaps very few heads had rolled down the pathway, no body can claim that all our MPs, bureaucrats and other officials are spotless angels. There perhaps would have been much consolation if some of our 'big fishes' could have been netted by any of our private web-site sponsors. Now that some of the Indian web-sites had done it successfully, our enthusiastic web-site sponsors can venture to try their hands. Perhaps some of them are already waiting in the isle to take their chance. Our media personalities and web-site sponsors should take lessons from their counter-parts in India, who had already set a grand track record in their performance.

It is an open secret that most of the developing countries are in deep water of corruption, more or less -- some upto their knees, some upto waists, and some upto their chests. But Bangladesh is in the worst position, being under neck-deep corruption.

According to the corruption index, 2004 released by the Transparency International (TI), among the SAARC countries, Sri Lanka ranks 67th out of the 145 countries surveyed, India and Nepal rank 90th, Pakistan 129th, and Bangladesh reached the peak. It is indeed a difficult job to catch the culprits where almost all are busy in 'golden hand-shake.' At best a beginning should be made by some enterprising web-site sponsors and some dare-devil media men to launch their sting-operation. Let us wait and see when that red day comes.

AMM Shahabuddin is a retired UN official.