In this Asianet News exclusive, Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Dr. Vikram Singh delivers a powerful statement on the nexus between corruption and political patronage. He speaks candidly about the Yashwant Singh case, emphasizing that true justice was denied and that Yashwant Verma should have been sent to jail. Singh exposes how political interference enables corruption to thrive and calls for stringent reforms to break this cycle. Don’t miss this revealing discussion on accountability, law enforcement, and the urgent need to curb political protection of corrupt officials.
00:00A lot of police officers take bribe. A lot of them are deeply embedded into corruption.
00:05But the political backing is there. They have something to lean on.
00:09So then how do we deal with this? Should I say that only judiciary is our last option?
00:13You see, corruption is a multifaceted dimension and a monster.
00:17And which came first, the politicians or corruption or these corrupt practices is difficult to say.
00:23But corruption presupposes that some kind of a political patriot, otherwise it cannot survive.
00:30Whenever you talk of corruption, imagine that it is starting from the top.
00:34And I don't condone anybody in the department also.
00:38Likewise, if there is zero tolerance, you also have certain chief ministers, prime ministers who were epitomes of absolute integrity.
00:46You have the example of Chaudhary Charan Singh Ji.
00:48You have the example of Lala Bahadur Shastri Ji.
00:52That upright life, absolute frugality in personal matters.
00:57So much so that when Lala Bahadur Shastri Ji demoted office as the railway minister after a major accident, firstly he resigned.
01:05Then he said that Lalita Ji, the lady wife, if there is dal, there will be no vegetable.
01:11And if there is vegetable, there will be no dal.
01:12That is the life of frugality that Shastri Ji had.
01:17Today, when I compare, I find that even if there is a Grand Pradhan, you just go and see his lifestyle, the life he lives like a czar himself.
01:24Now coming to your first question.
01:26A person who is corrupt has to oblige very many people to survive.
01:32A person of absolute integrity is not dependent upon any politician.
01:37He is not dependent upon anyone.
01:39And she is not dependent upon anyone.
01:42He can live with dignity and honor and having satisfaction of a life nobly lived and a duty well done.
01:48Because he is not dependent, he has to have subscribed to the rule of law.
01:53And for that, he does not require any political support or patronage.
01:56How do we deal with it?
01:57Because right now, as we are speaking, there must be in many corners of the country, there will be transactions happening under the table.
02:04How do we tackle this?
02:06It is terminal cancer.
02:08I am sorry to be using very harsh words.
02:09So terminal cancer or cancer in the last stage will have to be dealt with in a manner that you deal it with multiple levels.
02:19Firstly, I fault that there are no bad soldiers.
02:22There are only bad generals.
02:24The top leadership will have to understand that they are responsible morally and legally for any corruption that is happening.
02:32And therefore, if they decide that they will come down like a ton of bricks on any act of corruption,
02:37then Heena, I am sure it will bring some change.
02:40But sir, the people of the country are also, they have become, you know, habitual of giving bribe to police officers to get a few things done.
02:49This has become a deeply ambitious phenomenon.
02:51Corruption has become, as they say, removing corruption from India is like removing capitalism from America.
02:57In India, when a person is born, you have to pay, the mother and the father will have to pay their way to get the child born.
03:06And when the person dies, he has to pay bribes to get the person cremated.
03:12So even before a person is born, even when he dies, the corruption is inbuilt in the system.
03:18It has become a part of our DNA.
03:19That is a tragedy.
03:21That is a tragedy.
03:22And as even the Prime Minister, I believe, once mentioned, there are four kinds of bribes.
03:26Nazarana, Shukrana, Zawarana, Dhamkana.
03:31I really don't know, but a bribe is a bribe and a corrupt practice is a corrupt practice.
03:36I am sure if you would be able to go through Munshi, Prem, Chansey, Namakka, Daroga,
03:41and they try to enlighten the society that at the end of the day, an honest man is better than 10,000 dishonest men.
03:48But there are multiple roles.
03:51You mentioned society, you mentioned people, you mentioned the police, and I am saying the leadership.
03:57And then the law enforcement agencies.
03:59You also talked of the judiciary.
04:01Do you think that anybody in this country is above board in the judiciary?
04:04Justice Yashvant Verma Ji of Delhi, an entire corruption of any state on one side and the number of bundles of notes recovered in Justice Verma's house and look in the manner in which the kid gloves he was treated.
04:21Whereas to the contrary, you should have been cruel to be kind.
04:24You should have ensured that he was sent to jail.
04:27You not only did not send to jail, but you obstructed anyone who tried to send him to jail.
04:32You obstructed the inquiry.
04:35He should have been removed from office then and there.
04:37If this is the kind of lack of this vehicle and the cavalier manner in which you are handling and dealing with corruption,
04:44this should be dealt in a summary manner, Hina.
04:47That a person comes to light, okay, I don't ask for anything revolutionally.
04:50But the least you can do, anything that comes to light, get a case registered, send the person to jail, put him in a fast track court,
04:57and decide in 21 working days, this is the least you can do.
05:01But you will decide in 10 years.
05:02If at all, you will decide.
05:04You will decide in a manner that you are extra liberal to the accused, not to society or to yourself.
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