Corruption's Venom: Raids Expose Rot in Modi's 'Viksit Bharat' Dream

Digital Desk

Dawn raids in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal Secretariat on October 10, 2025, unearthed Rs.500 crore in graft files, cash-stuffed lockers, and trembling officials mirroring West Bengal's Kolkata ED sweeps netting Rs.200 crore in teacher recruitment scams.

As an anti-corruption sleuth with 20 years unmasking kleptocrats, I contend this isn't episodic filth; it's the gangrenous underbelly of Modi's "Viksit Bharat," where elite plunder starves the masses.

Real-time revelations: CBI's MP probe implicates 15 IAS officers in irrigation tenders, siphoning funds meant for drought-hit farmers. Bengal's? A Rs.1,000 crore SSC scam, robbing 25,000 meritorious youth of futures. Transparency International's 2025 index ranks India 85th, down from 76th, with 60% citizens viewing officials corrupt per CMS surveys. Demonetization's "black money" purge? Billions laundered white. Electoral bonds? Rs.16,000 crore funneled anonymously to BJP, per ADR 2024.

The human toll: In MP's Bundelkhand, diverted funds leave villages parched; suicides up 10%. Bengal's aspirants riot, echoing 2024's Delhi student clashes. Yet, selective raids opposition states targeted reek of vendetta, eroding Lokpal's teeth.

My verdict: True reform, not theater. Digitize all tenders with blockchain; empower CVC with prosecutorial autonomy. Whistleblower shields, asset declarations audited yearly. And voters: Arm yourselves with RTI; shun tainted candidates.

Corruption devours dreams. Purge it, or "Developed India 2047" remains a corrupt mirage.