Dr Subramanian Swamy talks about how to take the anti-corruption crusade forward

Thanks to the ruling by the Supreme Court on sanction for prosecution, there is now a way that every citizen can approach investigative authorities for taking corrupt officials or ministers to task, said Dr Subramanian Swamy, president of Janata Party and anti-corruption crusader.

“The media highlighted the part about the deemed sanction for prosecution if no decision is taken by government for more than four months after being approached by a citizen. However, Justices Ganguly and Sanghvi also made another important observation. They have ruled that any citizen can approach an investigative body with prima facie evidence against a corrupt official or minister; and can ask for an investigation. So if you know a corrupt official in your municipal Ward, and you have evidence, you can order for an enquiry,” Dr Swamy said.

He said that corruption must be fought at all levels, and must be taken up in a political way. He referred to Anna Hazare and said, “Anna must lose his mistrust for politicians, and work together. Participating in party politics is the way of democracy.”  He pointed out that where as Anna has a huge following among the masses, Baba Ramdev has an equally impressive following among backward classes. Together, they can bring about a political change.

He said, “One way to combat corruption is by using technology. Online transactions and downloads has ushered in transparency in many sectors. The other thing to do is to make an example out of the corrupt who are being caught. The fear of getting caught and punished heavily must prevent people from taking bribes or engaging in corruption.”

Dr Swamy also said that it is important to stay positive during the fight. “If you turn cynical, you will lose the battle. Be positive. There are good people who are helping us, there are honest judges and officials who are making things work and taking a stand against the corrupt government. I believe I have demonstrated that we can get results by fighting within the system. All we need is Parliament where only 10% of the people are honest, we are going to have phenomenal progress,” he said.

He gave example of himself, when he was elected twice in 1977 from Bombay, despite not having money. “When people are ready to change, money is not a problem,” he said.