Our political system breeds corruption

Parliamentarians begin their career with a lie. The exact words, spoken in chaste Hindi, may have been slightly different from these, but their transliteration into English captures the essence of what Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had famously said as a young parliamentarian while commenting on the flawed electoral system of our country that overlooks the key role played by money power — apart from muscle power — in deciding the outcome of polls at all levels of our governing structure. In many ways, that is the starting point of political corruption, the reason why politicians lust for money with as much passion as they pursue power — the latter comes with a price tag; only the naïve would believe sincerity of purpose and hard work among the people can pave the path to public office.

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