Arrogance of Power

“Power”, in general, may be a subject of glorification for sycophants and bootlickers, but for pragmatics and intellectuals it's the worst form of despondency that reveals the deteriorated perspectives of the person who possesses it. When a person internalizes the hallucinatory effects of power, he or she loses the holistic view of the system and treads on a dangerous path and eventually gets stripped of the position. In almost all walks of life, the leaders, whether they are into politics, business, or bureaucracy, who nurture ego and shun humility often run the risk of being decimated by their followers someday.

Recently many political leaders like Mamata Banerjee who think their highhandedness is rational just that they are elected representatives of people and have the right mandate to execute any damn thing, even gag democratic rights, they are rapidly demolishing their own existence. Any leader who has an iota of knowledge about statecraft and other leadership skills won't dare to curb the fundamental rights of citizens who are the dispensers of highly accumulated power at the top. This indicates either that leader is bereft of the universal reality or crazily adumbrated by the arrogance of power. The arrest of a university professor for allegedly posting a cartoon that portrayed Mamata in poor light reflects her sheer vainglory and inability to understand humor in a democracy. Being in power doesn't necessarily afford one to become an autocrat and dismantle the subtle fabric of democratic principles.

It's not only the politicians who alone tread the path of arrogance, there are innumerable leaders in diverse fields who have displayed their vulnerability being an addict of absolute power. When someone rises up and ultimately reaches the top echelon, he or she carries along a great deal of gravity of power to naturally become angelic towards the people below the rank, but a reverse thinking process that triggers the adrenalin of arrogance dilutes the entire mix of benevolence and transforms the person into an implausible one who in all probability loses the sight of rationality. What's more portentous then that the leader regresses and becomes an object of ignominy in the eyes of people.  

The Anna Phenomena

Some sections of society may call it “mass hysteria”, some may call it “blackmail of government” as well, but the essence of the movement against corruption led by Anna Hazare clearly lies in the fact that when the political masters of this country fail to establish themselves as the true champions of the common causes of citizens, whether it's good governance or justice for common man, then a huge vacuum is pushed into the political silos where someone like Anna tries to fill in, not because that Anna is the only messiah of desperate citizens who are fed up with issues like corruption, but because the hidden aspirations of common man somehow strike the right chord that Anna fairly understands even without having a grandstanding political acumen. And that's the USP of Anna as a champion of causes.

There is no denying the fact that Anna's movement against corruption is people's movement which should have been driven by politicians; however, after 65 years of Independence, this political class irrespective of shades has miserably failed to connect with people's expectations from them. Eventually the hiatus between people's aspirations and political commitment has gone increasing over the years and at this juncture the fault lines have even significantly become susceptible to deficit of trust between them. In effect the people of this country have found someone objective to their imagination of a hero promising a Utopian world, which might be possible in letter without spirit, but the public mood at this point of time is even more porous to capture the rhythm that Anna has composed – a corruption-free India.

Well, the transformation of Anna as the idol of youth power or the champion of anti-corruption movement is somewhat a choreographed version of electronic media that in all probability for a better TRP and in the name of breaking news have reduced to ghetto-blasters of pre-Independent era when message was more important than the messenger. And that message is Anna's passion for cleansing a system that has deliberately marred the aspirations of citizens. When the carcinogenic systemic corruption has affected every section of society, neither any government nor any political party has substantially attempted to address the real issues in a democracy, rather they have drifted away from the ownership and accountability that the citizens of this country often imagined a prerogative of those in the corridors of power.

Now that after 65 years of Independence, the people of this country are experiencing a deja vu of events that were a phenomenon of colonial era when the voices of people were suppressed by the highhandedness of British rulers. And the irony here is that being in the largest democracy of world, the fundamental rights of people are snapped when the whims and fancies of the government undermine the very essence of democracy. The rise and rise of Anna in the public imagination is a consequence of grave mistakes committed by the politicians of this country. Anna is no more just a popular mass leader of this country, he is a phenomenon derived by the collective conscience of a nation that's seriously experiencing a trust deficit in political leadership.

An Open Letter to Prime Minister – Part II

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

India is the largest democracy of the world, it's not a monarchy or autocracy where the excess of government can be tolerated by its citizens without blinking an eyelid. What happened on June 4 midnight at Ramlila ground, New Delhi not only reflects the extreme brutality of police forces and atrocities on innocent women, children and old people, but at the same time it exposed the collective base mentality of a government (read a bunch of diehard sycophants of a political dynasty) towards the universal democratic principles that once upheld by the forefathers of our Constitution. It's not only shocking that over five thousand police forces swarmed into action at the midnight to evict a yoga guru who just two days before the incident received a red carpet welcome by the cabinet ministers of this country, but it's equally deplorable that this kind of miscalculated action by your government landed you in a situation where you again committed a glaring blunder by admitting to the fact that “the excess of police action was though unfortunate but unavoidable as there was no alternative” and subsequently lost your credibility as the prime minister of this country.

What your government has done in this incident not only reflects the naivety of statecraft, but also it corroborates to the fact that the collective knowledge of your cabinet on the fundamental rights of citizens empowered by our Constitution is null and void. This is a dangerous proposition for a parliamentary democracy. No amount of argumentation however powerful can justify the brutality of police forces on innocent, unarmed, sleeping women and children that these critical mass can be dangerous to the law and order situation of the capital city of India by immaturely drawing a parallel between Babri masjid incident and an unfounded similar dangerous situation that maybe lurking in the hindsight of your government. No, Mr Prime Minister, this argument doesn't hold any water in the current scenario. What your government has done here to the democratic fabric of this country is irreparable. No amount of apology even from all ranks and files of your cabinet including you can't repair the humongous loss that it has done to the families of victims in this police atrocities.

Mr Prime Minister, there are scores of alternatives to handle the worst dangerous situation even with grace and within the ambit of democratic principles. The Ramlila ground incident is a murder of democracy, which you can't understand it, forget about acknowledging the blunder because you are not an elected representative of people of this country, rather a representative of a dynasty for political convenience. Perhaps, that's the prime reason as to why political compulsions have always overshadowed your intellect and conviction during national crisis whether it's all-pervasive political corruption or crushing of democracy in the recent event. It's still live in public memory when you justified systemic corruption as “coalition dharma” and “political mandate” can even wash away the democratic sins like “horse-trading in the Parliament.” No parliamentarian can claim such immature, unconstitutional statement.

Mr Prime Minister, it won't be quite surprising to notice another emergency during your tenure given the uprising of civil society against systemic corruption and black money issues that have entangled your government in deep soup, and subsequently you will give the same lame excuse that “though this is unfortunate but unavoidable as we don't have an alternative” a cliché that you have got by your heart to fire it whenever condemnations on your actions from public or political parties loom large.

Sir, we are living in 21st century, not in an era of colonial rule where all actions, however dangerous or anti-human or antagonistic, of a ruler stand legitimate. People of India are not subjects of British Raj. We are living in a vibrant democracy where every citizen has fundamental rights to lead his or life with human dignity and grace. Any excess by the government is extremely deplorable and condemnable. As head of the government, you must first oblige to the democratic principles and the Constitution of India, and then probably you can discharge your duty as a prime minister. If you fail to uphold the democratic principles, people of this country will not hesitate to consider you a man of no reason.


Yours sincerely,

An honest citizen

Midnight murder of democracy

History has been repeated, rather in a more dastardly manner. What could be condemned as the worst incident in a democracy is on the contrary not only a blot on democracy, but also the worst form of inhumanity executed by a government. What's happening in this country? When people of this country come out in unison to protest peacefully against corruption and black money, the government doesn't hesitate to use barbaric police force to fire teargas at innocent people to destroy the movement. What happened at Ramlila ground, New Delhi, on the midnight of June 4 is a clear indication of the darkest episode of democracy. Five thousand police force cracked down on Ramlila ground and evicted Ramdev in brutal manner and the worst part is that the policemen assaulted women and children while they were taking rest in midnight. Is it a democracy or a nation ruled by rouges?

When the government is acting like nincompoops to fight against hardened terrorists despite all hard evidence, the same government is behaving like a medieval, brutal force against its own citizens to perish peaceful movements against corruption and black money. Can we call it a democracy where the basic tenets of democracy have miserably failed by its dispensers? What it clearly indicates that the government in power is a bunch of corrupt politicians who have stashed hordes of black money in foreign country and perhaps that's the primary reason what compels them to wipe out any kind of serious movement against corruption and black money.

The fear psychosis of the government is finally noticed by the public as how they are helplessly behaving in the most undemocratic manner to mar a peaceful protest, which is a fundamental right of every citizen in a democratic country. And the sad part is that a cabinet minister justifies the brutal action of police force on the innocent protesters and idiosyncratically reasons it as a lesson for all and sundry. What a duductive logic? This government after committing such unethical act against humanity and fundamental rights of citizens in a democratic nation doesn't have moral right to rule this country.

Krittika's case: Blatant revelation of America's double standards

Forget for a second that Krittika is the daughter of an Indian diplomat based out in the USA, the manner in which she was literally tortured by US officials for an allegedly frivolous case which has no significance in an open society like America, the US administration has drawn the attention, all for wrong reasons, of millions of Indians staying out there. A world democracy that has finally succumbed to base ideologies such as racial discrimination is a reminder of the fact that the USA is eventually heading towards a banana republic. Let's understand first what's the crime that Krittika committed for which she had to go through such harrowing experience of her life for over 24 hours in a dastardly ill-conditioned jail. She was just a suspect of sending an obscene e-mail to her teacher, which actually she didn't committed. This raises serious questions about the judicial system of the most advanced democracy that human rights take a back seat when it comes to an opportunity in favor of them.

Now let's recall the devastating incident of Bhopal gas tragedy when the CEO of Union Carbide Mr Anderson flew off to USA with the help of Indian officials starting from district collector to cabinet ministers. Then the USA put tremendous pressure on Govt. of India to release Anderson without considering the gravity of an enormous crime that he committed. A crime in which thousands of innocent people died like cats and dogs and many thousands who born even after a decade were carrying natal defects. A crime that is billion times grievous than what Krittika could have committed in all its remoteness. And today nearly after 27 years of that fateful day Anderson is still living at an arm's length from the clutches of laws and Krittika passed through the toughest moment of her life in a jail without committing any crime. The most sordid part here is that the same government which helped a criminal to escape from the country under false diplomatic immunity is showing its inherent incompetence to escalate this issue to higher forum. What an American sycophancy?

Krittika's case may be one such incident that not only reveals America's double standards towards universal democratic principles, but also it unfolds their hypocrisy as a civil society where human rights of other nationals are grossly violated under personal agenda.

An open letter to Rahul Gandhi

Dear Rahul,

When India is poised to switch over to the next orbit in socio-economic revolution, a plain vanilla political opportunism in farmers' agitation at Bhatta Parsaul can't qualify you to become the prime minister of this country. For that you should think beyond the contemporary political think-tank. Your solidarity with the victims of Bhatta Parsaul and empathy for the poor farmer families who lost their members in a protest against state apathy may temporarily yield some brownie points for you in politics, but in long run these political activism will never transform you to a world-class leader that billion plus Indians are eagerly waiting for.

Previously, you also visited Niyamagiri in Odisha to solace the poor tribals and also promised them to fight for their cause. I am not sure whether justice has been delivered to them. And there are numerous incidents when you have shown your genuine interest to reach out to masses and listen to their grievances, that way you have unquestionably proved yourself a leader of the masses, but will that suffice to catapult you to the top job of this country? You are not just another Indian political leader who at best can only aspire for a cabinet berth at the centre in his life time, you are different from the herd. You represent the collective aspirations of millions of youth who dream an India the next superpower in global economy, an India where the fruits of democracy are not restricted to few millions but every citizen of this country gets empowered to lead a life with dignity, an India where a flawed tradition, however deep routed, can't overpower the fundamental rights of any citizen, an India where justice will never be denied.

India is struggling with diverse socio-economic issues. Even after 64 years of independence, millions of people are dying of hunger, millions of children are exploited as child labourers, thousands of farmers are taking suicidal route to escape from the state apathy, and on the contrary, the ruling class is basking under the glory of India shinning, an irony that always narrates the sordid state of our development, a development which is partisan, non-inclusive, and unsustainable. For last 64 years we have been tinkering with the symptomatic treatment of a malaise, which could have an otherwise sure-shot preventive therapy. We wait for a problem to happen and then act partially to suppress it, rather than eradicate it from the root. How long India can afford to bleed on these pernicious ideologies?

Rahul, it's time now for you to take a stand beyond myriads of political limitations. India can't be ruled within the ambit of party ideologies. As a youth leader, you must ensure that the most bright and deserving young leaders join you to embark on a mission to transform India from an emerging economy to a world superpower in every dimension. And a last thought, you shouldn't be “ashamed of to be an Indian” by noticing one grave incidence of state apathy, rather you must ensure that every citizen with self conviction can say “I am proud to be an Indian” and for that you must act now to deliver justice to the victims of state atrocities.

Sincerely,

An honest Indian

Curbing the free speech

When IT has made India one of the fastest emerging economy in world market, the regulatory move against virtually free online media including blog sites and other social networking sites is a clear indication of the fact that the rotten politicians and bureaucrats in this country are trying to tighten the noose against unbridled free speech, primarily because the ongoing exposures of their corrupt practices in unconventional media like Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, etc., have attracted huge public attentions and reactions, which become a deterrent to their clandestine corrupt practices. In the recent Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption, the social media played a significant role by spreading the awareness across the world, and this became another jasmine revolution.

Now that politicians think the educated, IT-savvy citizens are well-informed and their collective free speech can bring down their supremacy in a society that they have legitimately exploited for decades, which furthermore won't be possible and this fear psychosis has triggered an authoritarian regime like situation to nip any future online revolution in the bud. This is a serious contempt of freedom of speech provisioned in a democracy. No matter how blasphemous or hateful be the views on an individual on any subject, that should be given a benefit of doubts in the ambit of “personal interpretation”, not as interpreted by a motley group of “pseudo-intellectual bureaucrats” who have continuously blocked the social innovations in this country.

Every time when a corruption news breaks out in this country, people blindly blame politicians without analyzing the length and breadth of the crime, but the time has come now to look beyond the lopsided view. The systemic corruption in India is a phenomenon dangerously propagated by the bureaucrats since independence. Their feudal attitude to keep every policy inherently flawed has stumped the progress of this country. If we have witnessed any social, economic or technological revolution, be it market liberalization, IT revolution, or mobile revolution, in this country, that has been possible just because of the sincere efforts of some good politicians, technocrats, and intellectuals. Though there are very few bureaucrats who have helped executing the policies with due diligence, the majority of this power block have continuously manipulated the system on their side, and the recent move on curbing the free speech in a democratic system is again their misadventure to prohibit public reactions, but this act of despot will never succeed. Controlling the internet framework across the world by any local government agency has never been successful, and this wild act of authoritarian governance will rather raise more conflicts in a working democracy.

Let the truth prevail

The worst crime ever committed by a ruler is his or her discrepancy towards subjects while delivering fair justice, but today this crime is being publicly undermined by justifying political mandate in the elections or awe-inspiring partisan economic progress in the state. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes still rule us, lecture us about secular democracy, and even shamelessly claim that they are the legends that the entire mankind should follow their footprints. What could be more deplorable than this side of human hypocrisy that at one point the person who overwhelmingly shows his beliefs in a value, at a different point of time the same person leaves no stone unturned to break that value?

No one can forget that fateful night of February 27, 2002 when a group of terrorists torched a bogey of Savarmati Express in which 59 karsevaks charred to death. But again a matter of caution here whether this act of dastardly terror was a conspiracy of a sinister design of some communal groups is yet to be established under the court of law. Let's now examine the fallout of this dangerous act of crime. The state government rather than promptly deploying law and order machinery to action for nabbing these perpetrators of crime, the leaders of the state orchestrated a malicious design so that the community belonging to the victims can vent their anger against the other community by igniting the sparks of the worst communal riots after independence.

For last nine years the case has been investigated by a SIT being monitored by the Supreme Court. However, nothing substantial has come out through this investigative tribunal. This is the callous state of the judicial system in India where the delivery of justice is always delayed supporting the adage: justice delayed is justice denied. It's delayed so extensively that the incident is forgotten in the public memory. If we explore the high profile cases in India, it's quite evident from the historical facts that no case is ever resolved in a year or two, forget about months, India judicial system is so lethargic that at least a decade or more is passed in chagrin to reach at the verdict, which is again partisan, biased, and dictated by the ruling party.

Can India abstinent from such feudal mindset and rise above the political prerogatives to deliver justice in time? Can the various wings of democracy including legislative, executive, and judiciary act collectively to preserve the sanctity of secularism? Can Indians expect fair justice irrespective of the social stature of the persons involved? Probably these are the difficult questions we have been raising since long, but we haven't yet received any satisfactory response to them. There are two specific reasons that fit here; one, the ruling class carries an inherent inertia as a mechanism to prove its extreme importance; two, the subject close to the ruling class try to tinker with anything and everything to prevail their position in society. Thus the immaculate truth is that one India is exploiting the other India with extreme precision.

Is India heading towards another emergency?

Is India dangerously running towards a 1975 like internal emergency? If the symptoms of political instability at the centre due to loads of high level corruption charges against UPA ministers and impeding loss of Congress in state elections are any signification, then probably a forced emergency is not far off from today. There is also another important incident that will also add fire to the fuel is the inability of UPA in passing the Lokpal Bill in the monsoon session, which would anyway erupt the ire of middle class citizens who just took part in the trailer orchestrated by Anna Hazare. The nation will be compelled to watch the whole movie “India rises against corruption”, if the UPA government fails to pass the bill or deliberately stages series of conspiracies in diverting the public attention.

Maybe, there is no pertinent sign yet which can trigger the worst political crisis for the UPA government, but the things are not going well either in governance front, as every other day another scam is being unearthed and ministers are entangled into the larger scheme of that scam. Perhaps, few months down the line some more new scams will catch the headlines and the pressures from each block of democratic setup will be mounted on the UPA government beyond a tolerable limit, and that could be a tempting point for the ruling party to do something unusually gross, but not unprecedented.

If we analyze the political and economic situation in 1975, India was living in a complete dark age, no growth, no aspiration, no citizen empowerment, extremely battered by poverty, state-run sick enterprises, no consumer power, and moreover, sycophant media houses who were licking the boots of the then ruling party leader. However, 36 years after India has proved to be an emerging superpower in many dimensions, be it IT/ITES, telecom, biotech, pharma, R&D, retail, finance, or media, each segment has significantly contributed to the growth engine of this nation. The liberalization has completely transformed the image of India among the first worlds.

An interesting case of highly people empowerment can be drawn from this incident. During 26/11, when the government displayed some false empathy to Ratan Tata for supporting the security of Taj in the aftermath of terrorist attack, the legend of Tata Group snubbed and retorted that he can better take care of his property than what the state can afford to. What could be a more befitting response than this to the political masters of this country who think they are still the epicentre of power? There is much power polarized outside the Parliament. A country with 1.21 billion population coupled with boundless consumer power and 24x7 access to information can negotiate the gargantuan power of state with extreme tact and efficacy, and that's the beauty of democracy. I wish that nothing of that emergency-like scenario would happen again in India, but if that still happens it will be the permanent death of political democracy in this country. People are innovative now and they can formulate a new form of governance in this country with accountability, transparency, and certainly free of corruption.

Victory of people

There are times when citizens of a nation rise above the individual conviction, it becomes a collective consciousness, a mass sentiment, a universal perception in driving the human solidarity for a mission towards creating the history. This time it's the crusade against corruption. And the people of India from all sections of society have proved that the state supremacy defined by a wagon of selective elites of this country can't downplay the sovereign power of people in a democratic setup. Finally, the people of the largest democratic country have won a war against corruption by initiating a starting point by shaking the government to bow down to the public pressure that the so called Lok Pal bill which was first initiated during 1966 and put in the Parliament in 1968 for approval, but for some reasons it was not passed then and even by successive governments in last 42 years, has finally taking a historic move with an unprecedented decision in democratic governance. A history is created. And the entire credit goes to those people across the country who overwhelmingly supported Anna Hazare in this incredible journey to support the crusade against corruption. It's the single biggest victory of people after Independence. Undoubtedly, India has witnessed the power of revolution, a revolution that can even bend the toughest power block, as we have seen here, specifically in this fight against corruption, which erupted from a decision by Anna Hazare's fasting unto death, and eventually the people of India joined the movement to take it forward. If it's a historic call by Anna Hazare, the people of India have responded to it overwhelming. This is a triumph of Anna Hazare, and this is a victory of people. Long live the spirit of citizens.

The citadel is crumbling

Enough is enough now. Perhaps this is what everybody in civil society has started feeling off late. The surging corruption in politics and bureaucracy has crossed the limit of human tolerance. If the recent scams in 2G, CWG, Adarsh Housing Society, land acquisition, and mine leasing are any indicator of the degree of collective corruption in a democratic setup, then it's time now to overhaul the entire democratic process that fuels the endemic corruption.

Now that the young India is joining Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, the government is not only stirred or shaken, it's started crumbling. The tsunami of revolution is so powerful that one of the panel members, Sharad Pawar, has been forced to quit from GoM that is looking into Lokpal Bill. This is just the beginning of the uprising. The way the netizens are united over the corruption row, it seems the fire will wipe out the existence of this government.

Let's understand why Anna Hazare is opposing the content of this bill. Primarily, the proposed Lokpal bill, much touted as anti-corruption bill, is just another bullshit. The bill that proposes a panel to look into the corrupt practices of politicians including the prime minister contains a number of inherent flaws. The panel doesn't even have the capability to initiate an action suo motu. It's merely an advisory body and can give only recommendations, not execute any action. Moreover, it doesn't include the real bad guys of democracy, the bureaucrats, who are the epicenter of all corruptions. The nexus is always designed by the bureaucrats, they are the pimps who make all the deals between politicians and businessmen. And this bill has waived them off. Sounds ridiculous? True. When trillions of rupees are embezzled in various corruptions, the government is making a mockery of the democracy by initiating another bill, which can't even sting, forget about biting.

If the government thinks the erupting nation-wide anti-corruption movement will die down eventually, like any other movement, then it's gambling on the wrong block. This movement seems will shape into the vigour of another Jasmine revolution that has engulfed the entire Arab world. Long live the movement.

Making India free from corruptions

The current strides in unearthing the corruptions at high places by various agencies remind us at least one important fact that after 64 years of independence, India is still succumbed to the shackles of another invisible tyranny - the public corruptions. From CWG scam to 2G scam and from multi-billion land acquisition scam to Adarshnagar housing scam, India as a country has surpassed every other country in corruption index. Thanks to the eternal nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, and business mongers that has opened many avenues for practicing corruptions in the most innovative way. Although media and other monitoring agencies are doing their bit in uncovering the skeletons, the snail-paced legal proceedings and mind-numbing, argumentative legal luminaries pessundate the sanctity of a fair judicial probe into any corruption that has erupted in contemporary India.

The recent money laundering case against Hasan Ali speaks the blatant truth that mars the investigation process against the accused. Despite the hard evidences established by various government agencies, his connections with politicians and bureaucrats, and furthermore, his affordability to hire a smart legal eagle would prove him innocent in the court. This just one stance. India has been living this saga for many decades. I doubt whether Indian judiciary will wake up one day and devise a process to nail down these corrupt people who siphon off billions of dollars of public money and let the poor citizens of this nation suffer from a permanent denial of justice towards a decent living.

I would dare to suggest certain measures in this context, which of course will work irrespective of the political parties come to the power. First, make judiciary independent of legislative and be answerable to autonomous monitoring and law-enforcing agencies like CAG and CBI and vice versa. This will ensure that CAG and CBI can investigate the corrupt practices of judges and judiciary too can delve into the operations of these autonomous bodies. Second, create an autonomous public committee to monitor the governance of a nation state. The committee should comprise members from all political parties, bureaucracy, judiciary, and eminent intellectuals in various fields such as academics, business, social service, media, and law-enforcing bodies. Third, the most sacrosanct positions like cabinet secretary, CVC, chief justice, and posts of similar stature should be availed to the most efficient, effective, skillful, and honest persons in the respective categories, although seniority will play a major role here, but the attributes articulated before will take equal chance in deciding the candidacy.

I am sure, if a democracy functions in the most transparent manner with due diligence in effective governance, the corruption will be the last word in the minds of those authorities who are sucking a nation like vampires.

The Democracy Even Can Work

Irrespective of some political extremists' views on the flaws that a democratic system inherently nurtures, a serious introspection into the functionality of a democracy can suggest otherwise - the democracy can even work better than any any form of governance that has been existing for long in this world nations. So what really ails the democracy? A very recent press conference of our Prime Minister with leading editors of electronic media that went sobering last week reveals the dark areas that a democracy face while functioning. If Dr. Manmohan Singh's repetitive statement on coalition dharma has at all to be believed, it becomes quite conspicuous that whether a democracy is inherently incapacitate to handle the most difficult situation or it's mended by majority views that a wrong act can even be proved right, in a typical popular argument. Or more appropriately how a coalition government can tighten the noose of a fair governance. What's most astounding fact that emerged from this press conference was that in coalition politics corruption is an assured byproduct, whether you like it or not. Managing many splinter political parties with vested political interests is the most difficult task for any leadership.

While analysing the genesis of recent corruptions that have been erupted from the hob-nobbing of political masters with business class, the singular fact that hammers up one's conscience is how subtly the multi-nodal nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs works that nobody in the secondary systems like media and law enforcement body never gets a chance to expose it. Perhaps, that's the perennial beauty of a democratic governance process. At one end, the so called still frame, the bureaucracy, and at the extreme, people leaders, the political class, join the tandem to loot the nation in a sophisticated design, that often we connote it the democracy.

So, what if we change the process of governance in a democracy? Will it be actually easier to transform a rotten system into a truly efficient one? What does it take to achieve this eventually? There are many unanswered questions though at the outset; however, we can give it a try and make this happen. What exactly we need now is to build up a national consensus to drive this mission - expose corruption in whatever form, wherever it takes place, without reconsidering the fact that however powerful political or bureaucratic heavyweights are involved in that dirty transaction. Only then we would be able to bring the truth to the fore. And the primary stakeholder in this mission possible is obviously the media community, apart from the law enforcement department, as the latter is an indispensable part of the democratic system. In a powerful democratic setup, media plays a greater role. If it shrinks from the responsibilities, then achieving this mission would be an extremely difficult proposition.

Of late, it's also observed that media to some extent is a part of lobby mechanism, thanks to the of Nira Radia tapes, which ruthlessly expose the connection of top jurnos of India with ministers and the political class in helping bend the law like Becham. Though it sounds pathetic, but the major section of media, I wish, and everyone do so, is largely seeker of truth. That's the only hope that instills in the minds of people. Lest these octopuses suck the life and spirit of common people in this country, the media should rise above the occasion and start digging the system to unearth the corrupt practices of politicians, bureaucrats, and whoever involved therein. Only then we would say that democracy can even work.