Former Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde has said that there must be a societal boycott of people whom “you perceive to be corrupt” in elections.
In his inaugural address at a seminar on ‘global finance capital, marginalised majorities and limited transparency – lessons for ensuring an inclusive India' at the Cochin University of Science and Technology here on Wednesday, Mr. Hegde reminded politicians that ‘praja was the prabhu' (citizen is the king) even though the former thought that they were the boss.
Stating that leaders are representatives of the people, Mr. Hegde urged politicians not to forget this truth. “Parliament is supreme. But we are giving some inputs to make a law. Parliament is also of the people. They (politicians) think that they are the leaders once they get elected,” Mr. Hegde said referring to the civil society movement for an effective Lokpal Bill.
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Explaining that today's society thinks that there is nothing wrong in being corrupt, Mr. Hegde said the nation's policies were short-sighted. “We do not have statesmen but only politicians.''
Pointing out that most of the villages across the country lack drinking water, drainage, and toilets, Mr. Hegde said that villages were shrinking. The youth are moving out from the village, as it lacks adequate infrastructure. Growth has been lopsided in the country. “It is not trans-India but seen only in pockets, urban cities,” he said.
Stating that a very strong Lokpal will not eradicate corruption but can contain corruption in the first stage, Mr. Hegde said that Anna Hazare could ignite the minds of the people. The people want leaders to be honest in their actions.
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Referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General's observation that the exchequer would have suffered a presumptive loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore in the 2G spectrum allocation, Mr. Hegde said there was no auditing of the funds spent on various welfare schemes for the people. He said that only a fraction of the money earmarked would have gone into the actual implementation.
Prabhat Patnaik, former Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board; K.N. Panikkar, Vice-Chairman of the State Higher Education Council; Anupama Jha, Executive Director, Transparency International; J. Gopikrishnan, journalist; M.M. Lawrence, chairman, E. Balanandan Research Foundation; K. Chandran Pillai, secretary; Ramachandran Thekkedath, Vice-Chancellor, Cochin University of Science and Technology; and D. Rajasenan, Director, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP), spoke. The event was organised jointly by the E. Balanandan Research Foundation and the CSSEIP.