Corruption in the Indian society has prevailed from time immemorial in one form or the other. In today’s scenario, if a person wants a government job he has to pay lakhs of rupees to the higher officials irrespective of satisfying all the eligibility criteria. Or even if a student with less score wants to get in some reputed institute, lakhs of rupees are given as donations. In this democratic country, corruption is the real price we are paying for the liberal living.
We all know that corruption is a legal offense. And it’s like a fatal disease. Like gambling, people of our country have imbibed this dangerous habit of corrupting people and getting corrupted. Democracy is a system where we are allowed to choose leaders at our own will. But over a period of time, we have noticed that electing any leader from political-background is leading to corrupt and unscrupulous activities. Democratization witnessed the collapse of the franchise system, the rise of money politics and the re-emergence of franchise actors as participants in our democratic polity. The egotistic Indian and the downtrodden Indian might be different but it is the very absence of judgment and the invincible iniquity in both that makes them intersect, and that’s the origin of corruption.
Corruption in India is a result of the connection between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. A hierarchy of the deep-rooted abuses of lack of democratic tradition and individual rights, making every Indian feel insecure about his social, economic and political conditions is undeniably, a probable cause for corruption. Earlier, bribes were paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. Â The major cause of concern is that corruption is weakening the political body and damaging the supreme importance of the law governing the society. People who work on right principles are unrecognized and considered to be foolish in the modern society.
A democracy without corruption is a dream and will remain a dream for at least some time from now. The only way to eradicate corruption, in my humble opinion, will be making sure that if you want corruption eradicated, you decide to remain uncorrupted under all circumstances. Firm and strong steps are needed to curb the menace and an atmosphere has to be created where the good, patriotic, intellectuals come forward to serve the country with pride, virtue, and honesty for the welfare of the people of India.
 -Tanvi Shah
It’s tough to have a democracy without corruption!!!!