If Prime Minister Narendra Modi is indeed serious about fighting corruption, he should have known that demonetisation of currency notes is certainly not the best way to achieve that goal. The move has been touted as a bold decision by Modi, who knows that such slogans are politically rewarding as they resonate with the exasperated masses.
The institution of Lokpal is supposed to deal with corruption. In over two and a half years, the prime minister has failed to make operational the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013 enacted by Parliament, following a popular movement against corruption led by Anna Hazare. Recently, the Supreme Court, too, expressed its displeasure over the delay in the appointment of the Lokpal.
The government cites technical issues regarding the constitution of the selection committee in the absence of a recognised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. This is not convincing. A simple amendment to the Lokpal Act could not have been an insurmountable legal hurdle for a government whose prime minister promulgated an ordinance to remove the eligibility bar of a retired civil servant for his reappointment as his principal secretary. The reason for delay, perhaps, lies elsewhere.
S K Choudhury Bengaluru
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