Greed & Corruption is in the Blood & DNA of Indian Politicians & Sarkari Babus, these people behave like Maharajas and not public servants. Corruption is the Fifth pillar of Indian democracy. Corruption is the foundation of Indian Administration. Corruption is the backbone of Indian economy. Corruption provides lubricant to Indian Judicial system. Corruption is the oxygen for Indian politicians. Today in India there is hardly any aspect of life where corruption is absent. Law enforcement, revenue, medical, and even education fields are overflowing with corruption. Police personnel making money out of dead bodies, doctors stealing kidney from poor patients, revenue officers collecting money for each land deal where properties are grossly undervalued, Ration shop owners diverting trucks of PDS food for sale in the open market, Educational Institutes charging hefty donations are only few examples where corruption is encountered by common man.
The RTI Act gave power to the common man to bring into public domain the information which was only available to politicians & sarkari babus and maybe the Jan Lok Pal Bill will give the common man a powerful tool to fight against those politicians & sarkari babus involved in corrupt activities. As Christian Activist’s we need to make good use of the RTI Act & Jan Lok Pal Bill (if at all it is passed by parliament). We also need to carry on with our battle against injustice, human rights violation, corruption, slumlords, builders mafia, etc. We need to oppose the Unlimited FSIs & TDRs for builders lobby. We need to oppose the National Land Loot Act i.e. the Land Acquisition Act. We need to break the incestuous network between the land mafia – politician – bureaucracy – ration office - municipality – builders lobby. We need to prevent the politicians, builders, slumlords from eating up the last few bits of open spaces, mangroves, saltpanlands, gardens, playgrounds and protect BOMBAY from the killing impact of tidal waves & heavy rains.
More than 200 Corporators in Bombay joined hands to raise their voice against water shortage problem in bombay but not a single corporator has opposed the Unlimited FSI & TDR to builders lobby and Not a single corporator has demanded from the Maharashtra govt. & BMC to protect the last few bits of openspaces, mangroves, saltpanlands, ponds, wells, lakes, gardens, playgrounds, borivali national forests from being eaten up by slumlords & builders lobby. This proves the Corporators are hand in glove with the Slumlords & Builders lobby.
In Europe a few centuries back some catholics protested the rampant corruption in the roman catholic church and these catholics later on came to be known as Protestants. The Protestants build their new churches and followed the rules & regulations of the Bible. But today whether it is the Protestant Pastors or the Catholic Priests, Bishops, Cardinals everybody is neck deep in corruption. Church funds are being misused, Vacant church properties are being illegally sold away, children of poor and less influential christians are being prevented from getting admission in Christian/convent/Catholic schools. The RTI Act and the Jan Lok Pal Bill should also be used in exposing the corrupt, greedy, selfish & rogue elements that have infiltrated the Christian (catholic/protestant) religious orders.
Here in Bombay the Catholic Church has extensive assets, vast land holdings, parish buildings and educational institutions. All this belongs to the catholic parishioners and not the Parish Priests who are deputed for a few years. But since the laity are ignorant and powerless they cannot do anything to prevent the parish priests from misusing church funds, assets, properties & resources although a few catholic activists with limited resources are sacrificing their blood, sweat, time in preventing the parish priests from misusing church funds, assets, properties & resources.
Christians in India also pay commodity tax, sales tax, excise, property tax, etc. Christians in India are also law abiding citizens. Christians in India have also followed the Govt. of India's two child policy. But it is very unfortunate that our Christian people are being denied Reservations in Government Jobs & Govt. Educational Institutes our people are also being denied civic facilities, govt. housing.
Whatever good work Mohandas Gandhi did went waste because of three main reasons. Reason One – Population Explosion, Reason Two – the Corrupt, greedy, Rogue elements that infiltrated the Political system, Parliament, Assemblies, Central/State Govt. Departments, Municipal offices,etc and Reason Three – the rise of Communal, Casteist & Linguistic forces.
In the 1960’s JRD Tata wrote a letter to Jawarhalal Nehru warning the rapid rise in India’s population will create umemployment, social, crime problems. Nehru responded to Tata by saying Population is the strength of India. The Indians who have returned from Libya & Egypt to India what will they do and what if there is turmoil in all Arab countries, African countries, Western countries and what if all the Indians from there return to India. Will Indian Govt. be able to provide these Indians jobs, food, housing ????? Will Indian govt. get foreign exchange to purchase oil, gas, fighter jets, war ships, submarines ??????? Will Indian govt. be able to control the social problems that will arise with the return of all these Indians from other countries ?????
America only attacks countries which have negligible military power. What is the response of America to countries like China or India where state machinery is involved in the persecution of minorities, where there is human rights violation and where farmers, tribals & fisherfolks lands are being forcibly taken over ???????
US will look after best interests of Americans. That is not the case of democratic India. Incompetent tyrants, blasphemists, political barkers only compromise human rights of Indian citizens in India and worldwide. Lives of Indians killed in communal riots, blasts, wars, attacks, hijacks mean nothing to BJP and Congress wallas (Incompetent tyrants, blasphemists, political barkers) because they expect people to move on and forget about the attacks.
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Gabriele D'Souza.
