Is Chacha Corrupt, Too?

In yesterday's post, I discussed the huge amount of political corruption India is reeling from these days. Today, the lead editorial in the Indian Express says, in so many words, that the "mud is spreading" - to Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi himself, who so far has been looked upon as Mr. Super Clean. The editorial refers to the telecom licensing scandal, and an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by the ministry of telecommunications, in which it is stated that the tainted minister, A Raja of the DMK, had "no difference of opinion" with the Prime Minister, and that the latter was "kept fully informed of all decisions."

Yet, there are many other actions of Chacha, in the present as well as the past, that point to "corruption" - and I do not mean graft. For example, Chacha's "free and compulsory education" is nothing but corruption to me, for it aims at corrupting all young minds with the fatal errors of State Socialism. Let us not forget that if "higher education" in India is a huge mess today, Chacha was once Chairman of the University Grants Commission. He began his career in the Delhi School of Economics - as a "bureaucrat-professor." This "premier" institution, funded by The State, teaches mathematical economics and Keynesianism, among other corrupt doctrines. It is a leading centre for the study of "econometrics."

Let us fast forward to the present day - and the G-20 meet. Here, under Chacha's leadership, what the Indian State has managed to achieve is a larger slice of voting power in the IMF. The IMF is the fount of all "dishonest money" - and should be seen as an extremely corrupt idea. Chacha is upholding this corrupt idea. He has, of course, also been Governor of our central bank in the past, indulging in "deficit financing" and instituting "foreign exchange control." He is a Keynesian. The IMF is a Keynesian idea.

Since all this "dishonest money" from central banks and the IMF will cause more and more inflation, which will permanently pauperise our poor, Chacha's great ideas of "State welfare" for these poor Indians - like "right to food" and "right to work" - must also be seen as extremely corrupt, for it is fairly obvious that the biggest gainers will be those who administer these schemes and control these huge budgets. The poor, who need Liberty and Property, will only lose. The nation will lose as well, for precious private Capital will be taxed away and consumed - not "invested" in anything worthwhile, like roads, which we badly need.

Chacha's other "achievements" during his two terms as PM are also "corrupt" in my opinion. I think the idea of The State as a producer and supplier of nuclear power is corrupt - for it enhances the role of The State. Opening up power to competing private players would have been the "honest" thing to do. In addition, Chacha is also pushing for legislation that will limit liability in case of nuclear accidents. He is making us all "insecure."

Thus, the new ambition of the Total Chacha State, to occupy a seat in the UN Security Council, should be laughed at. It will make The State and its personnel secure, not us. Just as more votes in the IMF will make the RBI secure, not us.

If we Indians want to be "secure" and "free" - and if we want "honesty" in government - we must think of another way, very different from Chacha's corruptions.

First, instead of the UN or the IMF, we must think of Mayors in our own towns and cities. We must thin of hard, private money. We must think of a free and competitive Market for all, including foreigners. For our "security," we must think of Torts, and we must also think of how we can defend ourselves and our properties.

Only if we persevere in this line of thought and action, can we be rid of political corruption. All this rampant and widespread corruption stems from a Corrupt Idea - and that is Nehruvian Socialism: "The State at the commanding heights of the economy," "central economic planning," "the socialistic pattern of society," "panchayati raj and rural development," and, of course, "poverty alleviation and employment generation." Our Chacha is wedded to all these ideas. His State plans to borrow some 3,50,000 crores to fund these corrupt ideas. All this is nothing but corruption, corruption, and more corruption.