Reuters reports that 100,000 trade unionists marched in New Delhi to protest rising food prices and corruption within the India government today, showing their displeasure with a deadlock in the Indian government that has lasted months. [1] The protests mostly focused on the rising cost of food, a problem caused more by supply problems than Indian governmental inaction, but come at a a particularly bad time for the Indian government, which is embroiled in corruption scandals. The problem is incredibly widespread; in 2008, over one in four members of the Indian parliament were purported to have committed some crime, from corruption or embezzlement to more serious charges of rape and murder. [2]
The deadlock in the parliament may be coming to an end, however, as the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, agreed to join an anti-corruption probe supported by opposition politicians. The opposition Bharativa Janata Party (BJP) has demanded investigations into the sale of frequencies on India's 2G network, which were allegedly sold at artificially low prices by India's then-telecommunications minister. This deal potentially cost the country more than $30 billion. [3]
The breaking of this particular deadlock may represent a turning point in the fight against corruption, in the form of bipartisan support for anti-corruption measures. However, if the deal is limited to this particular exchange, and the $30 billion that it lost India, then it will fail to make a larger impact on the rampant corruption in the government. If the Congress party has made a deal with the BJP to cast off only one corrupt telecommunications minister, then this action could actually stunt true efforts to fight endemic corruption before they actually begin.
Ultimately, Mr. Singh's statements about the concession show a clear unwillingness to progress. His deal was based on "these special circumstances" of a deadlocked Congress, instead of the moral imperative of solving India's problems. Without a cultural and political shift that rejects corruption, instead of dealing with it on a case-by-case basis, India will not be able to solve a problem that cost it an estimated $462 billion between 1948 and 2008, 40% of its GDP and a loss 12 times the size of the 2G scandal. [4]
[1]Mukherjee, Krittivas "Thousands march against India's embattled government". Reuters. February 23, 2011, http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE71M1B820110223
[2] Wax, Emily "With Indian Politics, the Bad Gets Worse". The Washington Post, July 24, 2008.
[3] Achin, Kurt "Indian Leader Makes Concession on Corruption Probe to Break Legislative Deadlock". Voice of America. February 22, 2011, http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Indian-Leader-Makes-Concession-on-Corruption-Probe-to-Break-Legislative-Deadlock-116648074.html
[4] Prabhakar, Binoy "Black Money Trail: 'India drained of Rs 20 lakh crore during 1948-2008' ". The Times of India, November 18, 2010.
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