Wednesday, November 7, 2012

People 's ANGER Against corruption IS AT Peak


Sick of corruption, Paresh Rawal wants to take to gun



Well-known character actor and comedianParesh Rawal created a flutter when he said he felt frustrated by corruption and sometimes felt like picking up a gun. 

"Sometimes, I want to become a Naxalite, take a gun and shoot these politicians. They are third-rate, shameless people without any morality," Paresh declared. 

Paresh was speaking after a felicitation in Pune Tuesday night where he was honoured by the Pu.La. Smruti Sanmaan at the ongoing five-day 10th Pulotsav Marathi festival. 

The award, comprising a citation and cash Rs.51,000, is in the memory of the renowned Marathi writer, humorist and theatre personality, the late P.L. Deshpande. 

Expressing his strong feelings without mincing words, Paresh said that people who don't have money feel the hardships (in these inflationary times). 

"What about the plight of the common man? How will they even manage to survive?"
He said that every time he reads in the newspapers of scams worth thousands and lakhs of crores of rupees, he wonders whether India is really a poor country. 

"If there is so much money, India is not a poor country, we are being kept poor," he said.
And after watching all this corruption, the people have become so weary and impotent with anger that they cannot even launch a revolution, he said. 

During the shooting of one of his movies, Sardar Patel, Paresh happened to see the Constitution of India and was moved to tears by the great personalities named in it. "But, look at the situation today." 

He also blamed the people, especially the elite class, who do not utilise the democratic power of "vote" vested in them. 

"Then, they deserve the government they get," he said.
Interestingly, 10 years ago, another towering literary and theatre personality, the late Vijay Tendulkar, had shot into national headlines when he said if he had a pistol, he would have shotNarendra Modi in the aftermath of the Gujarat communal carnage.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sick-of-corruption-Paresh-Rawal-wants-to-take-to-gun/articleshow/17130993.cms

Corruption reaching turning point in India





Vinod Rai, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, said at the World Economic Forum on India today that for too long, politicians have believed they were entitled to govern without accountability.

The exposure of corruption has reached a crucial turning point in India, according to the man responsible for uncovering some of the country’s highest-level scams. Vinod Rai, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, said at the World Economic Forum on India today that for too long, politicians have believed they were entitled to govern without accountability.

“We were once transparency averse, but no longer,” said Vinod Rai, who investigated India’s biggest corruption scandal, the 2G telecoms scam which cost the country US$ 39 billion.

“I think everything is coming out into the public domain,” he added. But he called for citizen groups to become more engaged in exposing corruption. “Why do we leave it to government alone to introduce accountability and probity?” Rai asked. “Leaving it to government has not succeeded.”

The country still requires more independent, constitution-based institutions to keep the government and corporations accountable, Rai added.

A series of high-level corruption scandals have rocked the country in the last two years and threaten to damage India’s brand internationally. But panellists at the World Economic Forum discussion on inclusive governance said the country is at “an inflection point” in terms of moving towards greater transparency and good governance.

Ramesh Ramanathan, Chairman, Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS), India, said: “This is the best and most exciting window of time we are in.” Ramanathan who is also founder of the anti-corruption website www.ipaidabribe.com, said citizens of India are now feeling empowered and important and have momentum for change. “The media are important in catalysing that,” he said.

Social media, Internet crowdsourcing of data on corruption and measures for e-governance all contribute to a greater sense of transparency, which is instrumental in exposing abuses of power, the panellists said.


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