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The impact of corruption and criminalization of politics on national security is two-fold. First, corruption worsens socio-economic conditions and facilitates growth of anti-national movements or activities. Corruption acts as a regressive tax on industrial growth, especially for the small-scale industries that are major sources of employment in many developing countries. It also reduces revenue collections of the state. Consequently, the state’s capacity to allocate substantial resources to basic services such as health and education is reduced. This combination – of lack of commensurate industrial growth and lack of social security – does not provide the people with legitimate opportunities to survive or for upward social mobility. As a result, activities such as terrorism and drug trafficking find ever-willing foot soldiers. Moreover, corruption also undermines the legitimacy of the various organs of the state, which is then used to justify violent acts against the state.  

Second, various corrupt practices, from petty bureaucratic corruption to big scams, directly facilitate anti-national activities. For instance, India’s most wanted criminal, the mastermind behind the Mumbai serial bomb blast Abu Salem was given passport on the pretext that he was living in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh by a few corrupt lower rung officials. On a larger scale, the recent stamp-scam, is estimated to be around Rs.3,200 crores ($727 mn), and has led to the arrests of two MLAs, one each from Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh. The news reports suggest that the scam is part of a larger scheme of the ISI to slowly wreck the Indian economy.

There is a symbiotic relationship between corruption and terrorism. The aim of corruption is to generate illegitimate wealth discreetly. Hence, officials and bureaucrats in societies with a high level of corruption tend to perpetuate the discreet mechanisms through which illegitimate wealth can be generated. The aim of the terrorists, on the other hand, is to generate money discreetly for terrorist activities and the reluctance of the officials and politicians to stifle such discreet channels suits them well.

Similarly, the criminalisation of politics should also be critically examined from the perspective of national security. As per the Election Commission estimates, there are about 700 legislators with criminal records in this country. In addition to the number of criminals who have become politicians, if we add the number of politicians who are dependent on criminals or extend patronage to criminals, the number becomes substantially larger. This entry of criminals into the political process gives criminal elements control over the executive apparatus of the state, perpetuating corruption and facilitating the smooth functioning of organized crime. It is these organized crime groups that are being used by Pakistan, for its nefarious activities.          

If corruption and criminalisation of politics are undermining our national security, then we need to examine our political leaders’ reluctance to take effective steps to combat corruption and criminalisation of politics. The reason for such reluctance can be located in our current political process. In the context of weak political parties and absence of any ideological differences among political parties, the leaders of political parties have to generate electoral majorities. The only way that they can succeed is through deploying financial resources or using criminal elements to generate electoral majorities. As the Vohra Committee Report pointed out, “The cost of contesting elections has thrown the politicians into the lap of these elements [criminal] and led to a grave compromise by officials of the preventive/detective system.” It is not merely wining elections but also maintaining fragile coalitions that demand substantial financial resources. A study report of the Union Home Ministry’s Study Group on Northeastern States, 2001, observed that the Chief Ministers of Northeast are paying their MLA’s up to Rs.11 lakhs per month to keep the legislators from defecting. The report also stated that this necessity to generate money is creating a vested interest in continuation of the insurgency, as it ensured a steady flow of money from the Union government, which could be siphoned off. Thus, the institutionalisation of corruption is providing fertile conditions, for the growth of anti-national activities.    

In this context, it is pertinent to recollect that the mighty Soviet empire collapsed not due to an external aggression, but due to bad governance. The coming elections provide us with an opportunity to combat the menace of criminalisation of politics and corruption. All civil society groups in the country should come together and launch a movement with the explicit aim of defeating criminals in politics. These groups should come up with an alternate agenda such as public funding of political parties and stringent right to information laws, and urge political parties to implement them. There is a need to explain to the masses that national security cannot be ensured by mere chest-thumping jingoism and by accusing the foreign hand for all the ills that plague our society. We need to alter the nature of discourse on national security by emphasizing the necessity of improving our governance process. Only then can we ensure a secure, prosperous and shining India.