Lokpal cannot wipe out corruption completely: Hegde

"Let me be very frank. You can't eradicate corruption. Corruption is not born yesterday, last year, last century... Corruption was born with the birth of civilisation itself. Go through any scripture you will know corruption was there," he told a local television channel here.

Hegde said, an institution like Lokpal could be created which could curb the growth of corruption and clean corruption to a certain extent. "Suppose, we are able to contain it up to 60 to 70 (per cent), I think economically, we would be very strong."

The moot question, whether one Lokpal can abolish corruption or contain corruption, is an argument of cynicism. "Even if we have a strong door, robbery can still take place. Does it mean we will have no door at all," he asked.

"An institution which is there to fight corruption will certainly create fear among the people who are not yet corrupt but likely to become corrupt," Hegde said.
If available institutions brought the culprits to book and judicial institutions immediately held trial and punished, it would work wonders.

"Both these systems will bring the corruption down by at least 50 per cent. Fifty per cent is a huge amount," he said.

Replying to a question on the government assurance that a strong Lokpal Bill would be brought in Parliament, Hegde said people wanted a Jan Lokpal but the question remained to be seen how far it was going to be effective.

"One thing was certain that for 44 years they did not bring a Lokpal Bill and did not create a Lokpal institution. Now, that will come and that institution will be built," he said.

"People want this. Otherwise, there will be a revolution in the country," Hegde added.

However, Hegde said, he did not think the government would bring a strong Lokpal Bill. "Against whom they will operate? Bill is against them, the Parliament members, the ministers, the bureaucrats... It will not be against you, me. You get to understand now, when somebody is going to make it (the Bill) tight, then how tight it will be," he said in a lighter vein.

On suggestions by Congress leaders that Lokpal would be a constitutional body, Hegde said though it was a good idea, "it is absolutely unnecessary".

"If you want a constitutional body, you have to get two-third majority in Parliament which nobody as of today has," he said.

Hegde also did not see any wrong in formulation of a law to right to recall or reject a member in the elections.

Allaying apprehensions that India would disintegrate if such type of a law was formulated, the former Karnataka Lokyakta asked yesterday, "why India will disintegrate? Merely because you have right to recall a candidate?"

The chief election commissioners (CEC) himself had said there were countries which have law to recall. "Why is it not feasible in India?", Hegde asked.