People on street can't deal with corruption issue: Amartya Sen

"I don't personally think, the people on street could, in a very good way, deal with the corruption issue," Sen said while welcoming the fact that the issue had come into prominence.

"We need to do whatever anti-corruption thing we have to do. It has to have a parliamentary feature, reality feature, rather than going outside politics and reality of action in India," the Nobel laureate said while delivering a keynote address at the launch of UN ESCAP's sub-regional office for South and Southwest Asia here.

The comments by Sen, who spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier today, came in the backdrop of preparations by Team Anna for a fast later this month on Lokpal issue in case a strong anti-corruption legislation is not enacted in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

"...I am not a believer that it could be done in the way exemplary punishment is meted out by Panchayats to deal with the guy who drinks. I think we have to be careful about this," Sen said.

"I welcome the fact that corruption has become a bigger issue.... it is important that corruption is in someway (being) highlighted and it seems that the people hate (the corrupt)," he said.

Sen said, "I had the privilege this morning of talking for about an hour with my old friend Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister."