Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jan 11: MLA and parliamentary secretary to revenue minister, Pramod Madhwaraj, has confessed that legislators are compelled to indulge in corruption as they need to spend money for elections. "Because of electoral corruption, legislators are left with no other option but to collect money for transfer of officials. Unless the general public seek to know from those offering bribe during elections about the source of this money, corruption-free administration will remain a mirage," he stressed.

Madhwaraj was addressing a meeting of organizations involved with issues like human rights as well as efficient administration, and voluntary organizations from the state working in the field of human rights, which was held by Human Rights Welfare Forum at Sadashivanagar Club here on Sunday January 10.

"How can one expect officials getting transfer to their places of choice on the basis of corruption to work honestly? An official who pays ten paise to the local MLA for his transfer, plans to collect one rupee from the people. The voters, who sell their votes for money instead of electing capable people's representatives end up paying bribe to officials even for small jobs. They get trapped in this vicious circle because of electoral corruption," he explained.

Madhwaraj explained that as a legislator, works amounting to Rs 1,300 crore are progressing in his constituency, adding that he would have earned Rs 130 ccore had he demanded ten percent commission from officials and contractors concerned. "Those who win by spending money tend to recover the money so spent by indulging in corruption. Those who spend heavily for the election and still get defeated are in an unenviable position," he explained, expressing anger at the system of collecting commission on works by MLAs, which has come to stay.

Member of Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, Justice G G Hungund, in his address, blamed the government for neglecting the issue of appointing chairperson to the commission, pointing out that the commission is functioning without a chairman since the last three and half years.