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Religious leaders too have share in corruption: MLA

MLA V Sreenivasprasad on Monday bemoaned about the educated mass and religious leaders encouraging corruption, in the society.

He was speaking at an interaction organised on ‘Role of political parties and civil society in eradicating corruption’, jointly by Bhrashtachara Virodhi Ranga (Forum Against Corruption) and Dr Ramamanohara Lohia Trust, in the city, as part of 88th birth anniversary celebrations of socialist Shanthaveri Gopalgowda.

Alarming

“What’s more alarming is, if taken into account the present happenings, casteism is playing a key role in covering up corruption,” said Sreenivasprasad ostensibly referring to the scams surrounding Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

Referring to the topic, the legislator said that the voice of the people has lost strength, as they too have been swayed over by the lure of lucre. Obviously, the people have lost moral right to question.

Recalling a symposium held at Town Hall several decades ago, the MLA said that the people from all walks of life had converged at that place.

They had abundant love towards their respective fields. Prasad said that the same programme had a great impact on his life, where he decided to remain true to his self, in whichever he profession he chooses as a career. Said Prasad, “honesty is an inbuilt quality”.

Citing the example of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the MLA said that the former showed how well a government can check corruption among bureaucrats.

He (Nitish Kumar) ordered the officers to make their assets public to keep tab on their earnings, and withheld the salary of those who dared to defy the order.

However, unfortunately, there is a feeling that socialists like Nitish Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan, lost grounds in their fight against corruption, after assuming power.

Analogy

Drawing an analogy between accident and corruption, the MLA said that we can make honest efforts to minimise it, but it’s impossible to eradicate it. Reminiscing Shanthaveri Gopalgowda who spearheaded many struggles against atrocity, the MLA said he was a man of self.

Former speaker and chairman of the forum Krishna, socialist P Mallesh, former MLA A T Ramaswamy were present.