Sorry if I've been bitter: Iyer to Rahul
After a sharp exchange of letters with the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on the issue of corruption, the 97-year old former Supreme Court judge VR Krishna Iyer sought to placate the young leader on Sunday.
After a sharp exchange of letters with the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on the issue of corruption, the 97-year old former Supreme Court judge VR Krishna Iyer sought to placate the young leader on Sunday.
“Forgive me if I have been bitter in my letter to you. I am too old (97) and critical of parties CPM and Congress for governmental delinquencies," wrote the veteran jurist.
Justice Iyer's touching comments came in his reply to Gandhi, who had responded to the former judge’s first letter on April 9, in which the young leader was asked to take steps to tackle corruption.
Gandhi had responded by telling justice Iyer that “like most right thinking Indian people, I feel exactly the same way as you do. I spend a lot of my waking hours thinking and working to improve what I see as a rotten system.”
Justice Iyer appreciated Gandhi's concern calling it a “just assessment.” He elaborated his cynicism saying “when a former Chief Justice of India is freely accused of delinquent misconduct, no action-no action and not a word of response from the PM.”
The outspoken jurist attacked the political class. “Parliament is wasting time and people's money. The Executive multiplies its income by universal corruption and bribery.”
The former judge told Gandhi that the rulers of the country did not even know that two crore Indians "go to sleep on starving stomachs."
“Until they suffer for the poor, wipe every tear from every eye, they will be unworthy as rulers. Have they read Gandhiji’s Experiments with Truth ? Sir - most of them no,” said justice Iyer.
On his favourite topic, the judiciary, justice Iyer wrote: “The judicature, a sacred instrument with great powers to punish corruption, is itself corrupt. Not a single corrupt judge has been caught or punished.” He wished the Congress leader well and asked him to remember that India is a socialist country.