Why corruption is the new normal in Telangana ?
Opinion
20/03/2018
1178.
Sub : Why corruption is the new normal in Telangana :
Ref :Medea reports : Daily O : TS SUDHIR,
Municipal chairperson of Sircilla, Samala Pavani, says 'our minister' asked members of the municipal council to demand commissions.
When he took over as chief minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised that he will convert the state into "Bangaru Telangana" (golden Telangana). In the last four years, quite a few elected representatives seem to have hit upon the pot of gold, if the confession made by the municipal chairperson of Sircilla town, Samala Pavani, is anything to go by.
In a brazen show of dishonesty, Pavani spoke on camera during a press conference about elected representatives collecting up to 3 per cent commission on every public work undertaken.
Samala Pavani spoke on camera about elected representatives collecting up to 3 per cent commission on every public work undertaken.
But she was not gloating over it. Her grouse, in fact, was that the contractors delay passing on the cut to the municipal councillors.
"We are also doing a lot of work so why shouldn't there be something in it for us. Politicians are always willing to inaugurate a project by breaking a coconut," she says. Clearly ethics and a sense of shame are not part of her political culture.
But then why wouldn't Pavani justify taking a bribe? She claims it is "our minister" who asked members of the Sircilla municipal council to demand commissions. She added that it wasn't just Sircilla where bribe taking was an established practice but it was prevalent across all municipalities in Telangana. Pavani does not name the minister but many wonder if the reference was to KT Rama Rao, the son of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. KTR is both the municipal administration minister and the MLA from Sircilla.
Action was swift possibly because the stink had spread all the way to Hyderabad. Pavani resigned citing personal reasons, within hours of wearing the hat of commission agent as a badge of honour.
For politicians, bureaucrats or journalists reporting on politics and administration in Telangana or any part of the country, this would not come as a surprise. Contractors indeed are the lifeline of the political class, inflating project costs in order to create the necessary cushion to bribe those in power to get the contracts. "Na khaaunga, na khaane dunga'' or the boast of a corruption-free regime in Telangana are empty claims. On the ground, cash is the universal language.
The thumb rule calculation for a road project is that in order to win the tender, everyone from the MP to the MLA to the corporator in cities or the zilla parishad member or sarpanch in non-urban areas to the district officials have to be kept happy. The MP reportedly gets 7 per cent, MLA 8 per cent and the remaining 5 to 10 per cent is divided between the others.
"Even if I forego my 8 per cent and tell the contractor to instead put that money to ensure a quality road, it won't happen as the contractor would simply pocket that money," says a Telangana legislator.
From drainage projects of lesser value where the local MLA pockets 3 per cent to toll gates where the MLA gets 5 per cent commission, the price tag on every lawmaker is built into the corrupt system. In addition, a fixed amount every month is also sent to elected representatives from contractors of projects like toll plazas since they have regular collections.
Not all corruption is in cash, sometimes it is in kind. A builder in Hyderabad told me about how every second day, he fills the petrol tank of the vehicle of the police inspector of the area where his project is under construction. This is insurance against the police official creating trouble over some violation like debris put on the road, or obstructing traffic. The incentive: he will allow heavy vehicles to offload construction materials anytime.
Not that this nauseating corruption is restricted to Telangana. Congress leader Veerappa Moily's tweet this week which he subsequently disowned, alleged a nexus between road contractors and Karnataka minister for public works and how that determines how candidates are selected for the Assembly elections. Not a surprise then that many municipal bodies in Indian cities are dominated by corporators with a real estate background.
From the point of view of an honest tax-paying citizen, this is disheartening. With the high cost of elections, leadership of political parties obviously find merit in encouraging elected representatives to make money. Decentralising corruption ensures party leaders are not dependent on the high command for funds to fight the elections.
It is this taxpayer's money that comes back in the form of bribes at election time. The Rs 4,000 handed over to each voter is akin to the politician's taking a dip in the Ganges, to wash his sins of five years and ensuring just about everyone is equally corrupt.
Opinion :
1.KCR has a big task at Kolkata to impress upon Mamata : Third Front to defeat Modi
The Hindu, N. Rahul
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Look at these union of corrupted netas
WB CM may not sever ties with Congress and support third front, sources say :
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to have a threadbare discussion on forging a third front with his West Bengal counterpart and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee when the two meet in Kolkata on Monday afternoon.
Mr. Rao will take a special flight at 12.30 p.m. after attending the Assembly session and return in the evening.
He will be accompanied by Chief Advisor to Government Rajeev Sharma, Advisor on Home Affairs Anurag Sharma, TRS parliamentary party leader K. Keshava Rao and TRS leader in the Lok Sabha A.P. Jitender Reddy.
Sources said Mr. Rao’s meeting with Ms. Banerjee assumed significance in the backdrop of her stiff opposition to any BJP-led government at the Centre.
So, she will like to align with all political forces ranged against the BJP.
Alliance frame :
Since she is a strong votary of the Congress-led UPA government, she might want the TRS and all other parties, which are not supporting either the Congress or BJP, to come together and explore the possibility of going with the Congress in the changed circumstances triggered by the defeat of the BJP in recent Lok Sabha elections.
Ms. Banerjee will try to impress upon Mr. Rao the need for all non-Congress and non-BJP parties to support Congress instead of remaining a third front that is small in number and not in a position to challenge either the BJP or the Congress.
The seasoned politician that she is, sources said, it was not expected of Ms. Banjerjee to sever links with the Congress and support the third front.
Mind-reading :
She might read the mind of Mr. Rao to explore his political agenda and strength in leading the third front which could be a better alternative than UPA, especially in the context of indications that the Congress was set to bag about 150 seats and coming closer to BJP.
The number could swell with the support of Left, Samajwadi, BSP and other parties opposed to the BJP.
On his part, Mr. Rao will try to impress upon Ms. Banerjee how TRS was a force to reckon with as it was confident of faring well in the next election but the party could not be expected to tilt the situation without the support of regional parties.
His thrust will be on how both Congress and BJP had failed to deliver and, therefore, the need for a third front that is more powerful.
2. From Owaisi to Mamata, KCR’s third front gains support
HIGHLIGHTS :
A day ago, Rao had expressed his desire to enter the national politics with an aim to bring about a "change"
Banerjee conveyed her support to Rao saying that there is a necessity to bring a qualitative change in politics
NEW DELHI: A day after he announced his entry into national politics, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) supremo and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has received support from various political leaders of the country, including West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
"From morning, I have been receiving many calls from various places in India. This afternoon West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me and said that I have taken the right decision and she will be supporting me and that we will go forward together," Rao said.
Today, a day after his decision to enter national politics, Rao targeted both, the BJP and the Congress, and said that they have failed to provide an efficient government to the people of this country.
"Congress and BJP have miserably failed in governance. We see farmers’ suicides, why is this happening even after 70 years of independence? They've divided people in the name of caste, religion and politics but not doing justice to people," Rao said.
He also slammed the four-year-old NDA government at the Centre saying that they have failed to bring about the change they had promised.
"After Congress we voted for BJP, what happened in these four years? Nothing changed. Medical, education, agriculture, and urban development should be handed over to state governments, but they aren’t doing so and Centre is keeping all these departments in their hands," he added.
Following Rao's decision, TMC supremo Banerjee, in a telephonic conversation with Rao, conveyed her complete support and said she agreed with the Rao’s opinion that there is a necessity to bring a qualitative change in the country's politics.
"Ham aap se ekmat hain. Aap ke saath rahange (I am in agreement with you. I will work with you)," she told KCR, as Rao is popularly known.
On Saturday, Rao had announced that he will be foraying into the national politics with an aim to bring about a "qualitative change" into the politics of the country.
"There is need for qualitative change in the national politics....There is a serious need. People are vexed now," he said.
BJP leader and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh responded to Rao's decision and said that no political alliance can defeat the BJP.
"Third Front? No matter how many fronts come up, no power in the world can defeat BJP," Singh said.
At a press meet today, actor-turned-politician and Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan, too, welcomed Rao's statement and said he was extending his support.
Earlier in the day, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also welcomed Rao's comments and said regional parties will be the key to government formation after the next parliamentary polls and that the Telangana chief minister will play an important role in the process.
The Hyderabad MP told reporters on Sunday that the statement by the TRS chief would have a far reaching impact on national politics
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The AIMIM president hoped that KCR will play a pivotal role in bringing together non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and non-Congress parties.
3. All corrupt gangs join hands to defeat the BJP and its honest visionary charioteer Modiji
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JAIHINDVANDE MATHARAM
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