Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi both spoke out on Friday against the “cancer of corruption” in the country: while Dr Singh said rising growth levels had “increased the expectations” of people, Mrs Gandhi noted that growth was not an end in itself, and that while “our economy may increasingly be dynamic, our moral universe seems to be shrinking.”

The Congress president drew attention to the increase in social conflict, and growth in intolerance of various kinds and observed that “graft and greed” was on the rise, putting in danger the principles on which independent India was founded, which she warned could “undermine our democracy”. The two were speaking at a function to celebrate late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
Mrs Gandhi, stressing the need for a “more effective and efficient” government, said: “The Indian state, at its many levels, needs to augment its financial and managerial capacity to deliver public goods and services better. We need greater probity, more transparency, an open attitude and a willingness to try out fresh ideas... India has long presented the paradox of a democracy — where the poor majority, despite its voting power, has not always commanded its due.
“The challenge before us is to transcend the divides in our society to ensure that this changes. Social democracy is not populism. It is not generosity. It is the justice that our Constitution promises. The backlog is huge. Without social democracy, Indian democracy could well be undermined,” she warned.
Dr Singh said: “With higher growth has come the opportunity of generating more revenues that can be invested in human and social development. But higher growth has also been associated with higher inequalities and simultaneously increased expectations of the people at large. There is a revolution of rising expectations underway in India which any government has to take note of.”
He added: “Against this tide of rising expectations, we confront the challenge of revitalising institutions of development administration and getting rid of the
‘cancer of corruption’ in our public life. We need institutions and mechanisms that can deliver effectively our promise of livelihood security, the right to education, to employment, to food and to shelter.”
Mrs Gandhi said in her address: “We are right to celebrate our high rate of economic growth. We must do all that we can to sustain it. However, let us not forget that growth is not an end in itself. Much more important to my mind is what kind of society we aspire to be, and the values on which it should be built. Our economy may increasingly be dynamic, but our moral universe seems to be shrinking. Prosperity has increased, but so has social conflict. Intolerance of various kinds is growing. Graft and greed are on the rise. The principles on which independent India was founded, for which a generation of great leaders fought and sacrificed their all, are in danger of being negated.”
Suggesting that a coherent social democratic agenda is essential, the Congress president said it “must be based on rights and entitlements, not charity.” She went on: “I am, of course, conscious of the gap between promise and delivery. The debate on social democracy in the West is often about ‘big versus small government’. This is less relevant to India. What we need is more effective and efficient government. The Indian state, at its many levels, needs to augment its financial and managerial capacity to deliver public goods and services better. We need greater probity, more transparency, an open attitude and a willingness to try out fresh ideas.
“No social democracy is possible without a thriving and dynamic business sector generating wealth. There is a new spirit of entrepreneurship, a new awakening of enterprise in India, it needs to be encouraged. But surely it is in the interest of business to be a major partner in promoting social objectives and caring for the environment. Some corporate leaders stand out for their dedicated engagement in purposeful and meaningful philanthropy. It is my hope that the swelling ranks of India’s wealthy will be inspired to follow their example,” Mrs Gandhi said.
Directing the government on what needs to be done, the Congress president said: “First, a belief that social democracy must not only be responsive and responsible, but also representative of the many diversities in society. Second, a conviction that social democracy is unachievable unless economic growth empowers the disadvantaged, deprived, and discriminated against. Third, a yearning for social democracy that pays the highest attention to the preservation of the environment and regeneration of natural resources. And fourth, a passion for social democracy that provides for a nation state as an instrument of change and protection of national sovereignty.”
She added that civil society had been in the forefront of giving voice to the weak, organising them collectively and mediating on their behalf. “It is also able to provide models of service delivery that are, at times, more effective than those of the government. Partnerships with NGOs can only enrich our social democracy,” she felt.