I was discussing some general things with my uncle today and the topic came about corruption in India. After some pondering on this topic, I realized that this seemingly vague and "impossible to solve" problem can actually be solved very easily if the average voter is determined.
In fact, the Modi led BJP govt. did try to remove corruption by bringing in the note-ban in 2016 but it didn't work simply because corruption is so much rooted in our system that the BJP candidates themselves will need money to campaign in next elections, and this money will verily come from the coffers of those who will be supposedly targeted by that note-ban.
As a matter of fact, that's how campaigning is done by all Indian political parties, be it BJP or Congress or AAP. Campaign money is never clean. Politics is considered such a dirty business in India that the average dude like you and me will never donate to a political party (the way we donate to say a temple or NGO like Akshay Patra or Amnesty). As a result, the politicians will have to depend on these bad elements who thrive on corruption for their campaign money. Now because they depend on them, they can't persecute them once they are in power. You can't kill the very hen that lays golden eggs for you, isn't it? So, its a catch-22 situation.
Now, what's the solution to this? The solution is simple: Never vote for that party which does the most campaigning. That way, the ecosystem that thrives on the dirty campaign money will (slowly but surely) end. Once the politicians realize that campaigning is no longer needed to win elections (in fact, the more you campaign the more there should be chances of losing!), they will stop depending on these unscrupulous elements to get their campaign money, and thus they will also be free to persecute them once they are in power.
To achieve this, each and every voter should be mentally clear to reject the party that campaigns the most. I know that's a very long shot considering the huge amount of poor, illiterate and uninformed voters in our country but at least those reading this post can start raising awareness. At least the urban dwelling middle-class in cities like Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, etc. can start doing it. The most important thing is to vote in the election. Instead of just choosing NOTA (the favorite option of "not interested in politics" gang!), choose the party that did the least campaigning. At the very least, make sure that the one who campaigned most loses by voting for someone else.
Now, who did the most campaigning? That data isn't usually tough to find in a country like India. In most cases, you'll find huge posters of netas or candidates appearing suddenly in and around your area. You'll hear that someone has arranged a huge political rally, taking out a yatra or tour, etc. Some will even come to your doorstep themselves folding their hands and asking (read begging!) for votes.
All these activities require money and make no mistake, this money doesn't come out of any saintly endeavors. As I said, a commoner or average Indian never donates to a political party, they hardly have enough savings to donate at temples. All of this comes from corrupt donors like government contractors, builders, etc. who will then force the candidates to help perpetuate their corrupt activities once they are elected.
Now, surely we can blame both these classes (politicians and corrupt contractors) like always, but we too are indirectly participating in this unhealthy system by voting for those who do the maximum campaigning. Let's decide once and for all, only WE (the voter) can remove corruption from India by breaking this vicious cycle. Always keep this in mind, never vote for the dirty campaign money, vote in the direction which is against it.
Having said that, I think social media campaigning must be treated as exception and separate from this. The funds spent for online ad-campaigning and reach companies like Facebook and Google must come through proper channels like NEFT/NetBanking, so there isn't much scope for corruption there. But as far as your street posters and rallies are concerned, make no mistake! Its all in cash and nobody ever asks the ins and outs of those sources.
Remember, removing corruption is in your hands, stop blaming the system for it. The system is definitely to blame but after reading this, I hope you understand that you're also part of that system if you didn't do the bare minimum that you should be doing: vote against the dirty campaign money.
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