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Don’t fall for the miracle cure that is being offered. Corruption must be fought differently and it’s not easy.

1. Is Lok Pal is necessary to fight corruption?
No, not only is it unnecessary, it will make the problem worse. Corruption in India arises because of too much government, too many rules, too much complexity and too much ambiguity. Adding one more, huge, powerful layer to an already complex system will make the system even more complicated. Complexity creates the incentives for corruption–both on the part of the bribe giver and the bribe taker.

1A. Is the government’s version of the Lok Pal bill better?
No. We don’t need a Lok Pal at all. Making existing constitutional institutions—like CAG, CVC, CBI and the Election Commission—more independent will serve the purpose equally well. If we have been unable to prevent the politicisation and undermining of these instutitions why would we be able to prevent the Lok Pal from being politicised and undermined? If we can prevent Lok Pal from being politicised and undermined, why can’t we restore the independence and credibility of CAG, CVC, CBI and the Election Commission?

2. What’s the alternative to Lok Pal then?

The alternative is to proceed with second-generation reforms, or Reforms 2.0. Contrary to conventional wisdom reforms have reduced corruption, albeit by moving it to higher up the government. In 1989 an ordinary person would have to pay a bribe to get a telephone connection. By 2005, there was no need to pay a bribe at all and anyone could get a phone in minutes. Yes, 2010 saw the 2G scam in telecoms, but that was because the UPA government reversed the reform process.

In fact, data show that perceptions of corruption are lower in some sectors of the economy, usually those that have been liberalised.

If you are interested in exploring real alternatives, you can start by reading Atanu Dey’s slim, easily readable and inexpensive new book, “Transforming India”.

3. Doesn’t Hong Kong have an Ombudsman and doesn’t it enjoy low corruption?

This is a specious argument. There is little evidence to prove that Hong Kong has low corruption because it has an Ombudsman. On the contrary, there is empirical evidence from across the world suggesting that countries with high economic freedom are perceived to suffer from less corruption.

Hong Kong is one of the freest economies of the world, and therefore, incentives for government officials to be corrupt are relatively low. The Ombudsman is useful to address the residual corruption in economic sectors and in sectors like law enforcement that do not have discretionary powers over economic sectors.

4. How can we have economic reforms if the corrupt politicians don’t allow it?
We have not really demanded them at all, actually. If we did, they are bound to register in the national political agenda. We should persuade politicians that their political future is linked to implementing economic reforms.

5. Easy to say, but how can we do this?
By voting. The constituencies that stand to benefit from economic reforms—the middle class—needs to vote in larger numbers. In the absence of the middle class vote base, politicians appease the poor by giving handouts and entitlements, and cater to the super rich by allowing the crony sector to exploit the half-reformed economy. It’s not easy, and we have to be innovative. See for instance, Atanu Dey’s interesting idea to form middle-class vote banks to induce good governance.

Whatever may be the claims made by the people promoting Lok Pal, there is no miracle solution. They are peddling miracle weight-loss pills. Sadly, such pills usually don’t work and can cause severe damage to your health. If you are cautioned not to take those pills, you can’t ask “which other miracle weight-loss pill do you recommend”? The answer is in diet and exercise, which is hard work.

6. In the meantime, what’s wrong with Jan Lok Pal?
This question has already been answered above, but it’s usual to encounter it again at this stage. The problem with Jan Lok Pal is that it’ll make the problem worse. Does anyone seriously think we can hire tens of thousands of absolutely honest officials who will constitute the Lok Pal? Who will keep watch on them? Maybe we need a Super Lok Pal, and then a Hyper Lok Pal to watch over the Super Lok Pal and so on…This isn’t sarcasm, this is the logical extension of the Lok Pal argument.

7. Don’t we have the right to protest peacefully? Why do you say that a fast-until-death lacks legitimacy?
Of course we have the right to protest peacefully. But it’s not about whether we have the right or not. It’s about are we using that right wisely. (You have the freedom of speech but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to blast Eminem using a loudspeaker at 2am in a residential district.)

As Ambedkar said while introducing the Constitution in November 1949, once the Constitution came into force, we should avoid all non-constitutional methods like protests and satyagraha, for they are the grammar of anarchy. If two persons go on fasts until death for two opposing reasons, we cannot decide the issue by allowing one person to die first.

Fast until death is political blackmail. It is a form of theatre engaged in to coerce the government into doing something that the agitators want. Whatever may be the cause, a single person cannot be allowed to dictate laws to the whole nation.

8. Doesn’t Anna Hazare have the right to fast until death?
Anna Hazare has the right to protest peacefully. However to the extent that his actions amount to an attempt to commit suicide, they are illegal. The government can legitimately prevent him from killing himself whatsoever the reason he might have to attempt suicide.

9. You are an armchair intellectual. Shouldn’t we trust activists more?
Pilots don’t design aircraft. Practicing doctors don’t discover new drugs and treatments. These jobs are usually done by armchair intellectuals. So being an armchair intellectual is not a disqualification.

You shouldn’t trust intellectuals or activists because of what they are. You should examine their arguments and make your own judgement. Most of the people supporting Lok Pal have not examined what the proposal is, have not tried to consider opposing arguments and blindly accept it as a solution because some famous people said so.

11. Aren’t those who oppose Anna Hazare’s agitation supporting the corrupt politicians?
No. It takes an enormous amount of arrogance to claim that Anna Hazare and his supporters have the exclusive hold on the right way to fight corruption.

In the real world, it is foolish to expect 100% clean and non-corrupt politicians. The real world challenge is to achieve good governance with imperfect constitutions, imperfect institutions, imperfect leaders and imperfect citizens. This requires us to realise that individuals respond to incentives. If we remove incentives for taking or giving bribes, then corruption will be lowered. We can reduce incentives for corruption by following through with the reforms that started in 1991 but have stalled since 2004.

It is entirely possible to oppose the UPA government’s politics and policies, while recognising that it is the legitimately constituted government of the country. Individuals and parties might suffer from a legitimacy deficit because of flagrant corruption, but the Government of India as an institution remains the legitimate authority to make policy decisions for the whole nation.

12. Why is fasting illegitimate when Mahatma Gandhi used it in our struggle for independence from the British?
There is a huge difference in context between 26th January 1950 when the Constitution of India came into force and the time before it.

Mahatma Gandhi used civil disobedience against laws imposed on India by the British government. Indians had no say in how the laws were made and how they were implemented. Indians could not repeal laws we didn’t want. Civil disobedience was justified in this context.

Gandhi also used it to coerce Indian nationalist leaders too, including Ambedkar and the Indian National Congress, into accepting his views. Whatever might be the wisdom of Gandhi’s intentions, this was undemocratic and created a culture of ‘high command’ that lives on to this day. Fasting was not justified in this context. This part of Gandhi receives little attention in the dominant narrative of Indian history.

With the formation of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950, things changed profoundly. All Indians have a say in how laws are made and how they are implemented. We can amend or repeal laws that we do not like. There is, of course, a method to do this, which must be followed. These are the constitutional methods that Ambedkar referred to in his grammar of anarchy speech. When constitutional methods are available, there is no case for non-constitutional methods like satyagraha or hunger strikes.

There is thus no equivalence between Gandhi’s satyagraha against the British ruling us and Mr Hazare’s hunger strikes against we ruling ourselves.

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Players sold before the lunch-break at 1.25 p.m.

Gautam Gambhir , Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.4 million

Dilshan Tillakaratne, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $650,000

Zaheer Khan, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $900,000

Ross Taylor, Rajasthan Royals, $1 million

Yusuf Pathan, Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.1 million

Kevin Pietersen, Deccan Chargers, $650,000

Mahela Jayawardene, Kochi, $1.5 million

Yuvraj Singh, Pune, $1.8million

AB de Villiers, RCB, $1.1 million

Sourav Ganguly, base price $400,000, unsold

Cameron White, Deccan Chargers, $1.1 million

Jacques Kallis, Kolkata Knight Riders, $1.1 million

Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians, $2 million

Andrew Symonds, Mumbai Indians, $850,000

Kumar Sangakkara, Deccan Chargers, $700,000

Adam Gilchrist, Kings XI Punjab, $900,000

Rahul Dravid, Rajasthan Royals, $500,000

Graeme Smith, Pune, $500,000

Robin Uthappa, Pune, $2.1 million

Johan Botha, Rajasthan Royals, $950,000

V.V.S. Laxman, Kochi, $400,000

Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $550,000

Brendon McCullum, Kochi, $475,000

S. Sreesanth, Kochi, $900,000

Chris Gayle, base price $400,000, unsold

Irfan Pathan, Delhi Daredevils, $1.9 million

R.P. Singh, Kochi, $500,000

See you folks. The update will continue at 14:30 hours

13:28: It is lunch time at the auction hall. The last bidder R.P. Singh was bought by Kochi, the new comer for this IPL season.

13:27: Kochi bids for R.P. Singh 475,000 dollars

13:26: Kochi bids for 450,000 dollars for R.P. Singh

13:26: R.P. Singh’s bid going well and it is Chennai Superkings bidding for 425,000 dollars

13:25: The bidding for R.P. Singh starts well and it goes to 270,000 dollars from Chennai Superkings.

13:24: It is bidding time for R.P. Singh. The base price 200,000 dollars.

13:23: Delhi Daredevils buys Irfan Pathan for 1 million 900,000 dollars.

13:22: Irfan Pathan bidding rises to 1 million 700,000 dollars from Delhi Daredevils. Irfan Pathan’s bidding goes on and on….. swinging from Punjab to Delhi. It is now 1million 900,000 dollars.

13:20: 1 million 500,000 dollars for Irfan Punjab. Still in bidding

13:13: 1 million for Irfan Pathan from Punjab. I’m still in shock about Chris Gayle going unsold. Bidding for Irfan Pathan is still on.

13:10: No bid for Chris Gayle! What is going on! Nobody wants the match winner from West Indies.

13:09: Chris Gayle not getting too many opening bids. Surely he cant go for a lowly 400,000?

13:08: Wow that came from nowhere. Kochi bid 900,000 for Sreesanth out of the blue and get him. So Sreesanth goes to his home team.

13:07: Kochi make a splash at 900,000 for Sreesanth.

13:05: Sreesanth in the mix

13:03: Just 475,000 for McCullum. Kochi buys him at a seriously low price. This is an absolute steal!

13:01: The IPL’s first centurion, Brendon McCullum now.

13:00: Daniel Vettori sold for 550,000 to Bangalore. Bit surprised at the low price. Not too many bidders for the spinner.

12:57: 400,000 for VVS Laxman to Kochi. He got one bid, and thats the last.

12:55: 950,000 for Johan Botha. Sold to Rajasthan. That is a huge sum for Botha. Did Rajasthan pay too much?

12:53: Bangalore drops out after Rajasthan bids 750,000 for Botha. Then Pune step in with 800,000.

12:50: Looks like Bangalore is keen on Botha. Bangalore matching Kochi bid for bid.

12:49: South Africa’s spinner Johan Botha now.

12:48: Robin Uthappa going for a huge sum! 2.1 million to Pune!

12:47: Kochi and Pune going head to head for Robin. 2.1 million now for Robin from Pune.

12:43: Kochi and Pune fight for Robin, Bid stands at 1.6 million from Kochi now.

12:43: 1 million from Kochi for Robin Uthappa and we aren’t done yet. Bangalore might step in with a bid, they seem keen.

12:42: Big hitter Robin Uthappa up for grabs.

12:41: Team Pune gets Graeme Smith for 500,000. Some laboured bidding there, not too many franchises keen on the South African captain.

12:39: Richard about to drop the hammer but Kochi enter with 420,000 for Smith. Richard Madley explains that he saw the last second bid before he dropped the hammer, so the bid counts.

12:38: Even Graeme Smith not getting too many bids. Stuck at 400,000.

12:37: A little painful to watch as Dravid goes without many bids. Sold for 500,000 to the Rajasthan Royals.

12:35: Ex-Bangalore icon player Rahul Dravid struggling to get bids here.

12:33: 900,000 for Gilchrist to Punjab. The opening bid took a while to come, but the bidding picked up quickly after.

12:31: Unsold? Who am I kidding? Bidding on at 850,000 for Gilchrist now.

12:29: Opening bid at 400,000. So he won’t go unsold.

12:29: Adam Gilchrist, you’re up

12:28: Keeper-batsman Sangakkara goes to Deccan Chargers for 700,00. Chennai made a brief bid but backed out quickly.

12:26: Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara now.

12:25: Andrew Symonds goes to the Mumbai Indians for 850,000. Mumbai gobbling up players here.

12:23: Chennai Super Kings finally make a bid after staying on the sidelines all through. Will they buy their first player?

12:22: Andrew Symonds up for sale now.

12:21: 2 million for Rohit Sharma! 2 million! Sold to Mumbai Indians! Mumbai with a mammoth bid!

12:20: Priety Zinta and Punjab keen on Rohit Sharma at 1.1 million, but Mumbai and Deccan Chargers enter with 1.4 million bids.

12:19: Can you believe it? 1.1 million for Rohit Sharma. Bidding still on!

12:18: Step up, Mr. Rohit Sharma. Another T20 specialist.

12:17: Kallis sold for 1.1 million to Kolkata after Bangalore exits the race.

12:14: Star player Jacques Kallis up for sale now. Expect some frenzied bidding.

12:13: Cameron White goes to the Deccan Chargers for 1.1 million.

12:11: Can we go back to Ganguly for a minute? Ganguly upped his base price from 200,000 to 400,000, it has backfired on him. No bids for Ganguly. Silence as Ganguly’s name is called by Richard Madley, the autioneer. There was talk that Ganguly might go unsold, turns out to be true in the end.

12:11: Cameron White is up next.

12:09: And we’re back with the bidding. Major setback for Saurav Ganguly, he goes unsold!

12:04: Right, a quick recap of the players sold so far. We have K.C. Vijaya Kumar, our sports correspondent, with the roundup:

Players sold at 12 noon.

Gautam Gambhir , Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.4 million

Dilshan Tillakaratne, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $650,000

Zaheer Khan, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $900,000

Ross Taylor, Rajasthan Royals, $1 million

Yusuf Pathan, Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.1 million

Kevin Pietersen, Deccan Chargers, $650,000

Mahela Jayawardene, Kochi, $1.5 million

Yuvraj Singh, Pune, $1.8million

AB de Villiers, RCB, $1.1 million

11:51: We have a short break now of 15 minutes. Some crazy bidding going on in this first session. Yusuf Pathan and Gambhir setting the stage on fire with record bids. Still much more to go.

11:50: 1.1 million for de Villiers. Bangalore with the buy.

11:48: AB de Villers now

11:46: Mumbai and Deccan Chargers fight for Yuvraj, but Pune comes in with 1.8 million to get the big hitter.

11:44: In about a minute, Yuvraj’s bid rises to 1.3 million. Chennai have been rather inactive thus far, will they enter with a surprise bid for Yuvraj?

11:43: Here is another prize catch. Yuvraj Singh.

11:42: Jayawardene sold to Kochi for 1.5 million. Inflated price?

11:41: I’m not sure about these inflated prices. Jayawardene at 1.5 million with Kochi. Is he really worth this much? It’s not over yet, Kings XI Punjab might up the bid.

11:40: Hello, what do we have here? Kings XI Punjab, who have been silent all the while, comes in at 1 million for Jayawardene.

11:39: Kochi and Bangalore battle for Jayawardene. Bangalore has the bid at 900,000 as of now.

11:38: Who wants Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene?

11:36: Pietersen sold to Deccan Chargers for 650,000. Not too much, very modest price.

11:34: Pietersen, who played for Bangalore in the previous edition, should be hot property with his pyrotechnics.

11:34: England’s former captain Kevin Pietersen up for grabs.

11:32: Yusuf Pathan, T20 specialist, is sold for 2.1 million to Kolkata! Just a shade under Gambhir’s 2.4 million.

11:31: As expected, Yusuf’s price is through the roof. Kolkata bids 2.1 million. Bidding still on.

11:29: Kolkata, Kochi and Deccan Chargers in a three-way fight for Yusuf.

11:29: In no time, 1 million for Yusuf Pathan. Bidding still in progress.

11:27: And now, we have the big gun – Yusuf Pathan. Bidding begins in earnest. Will this be the record buy? Let’s wait and see.

11:26: Rajasthan Royals get Ross Taylor for exactly 1 million. Nicely done Rajasthan, Ross Taylor is a great T20 buy.

11:24: Bid stalls at 850,000 for Ross Taylor. Bangalore almost gets him, but Rajasthan enters the fray with 900,000. This auction is full of last minute surprises!

11:23: Time for New Zealand’s explosive Ross Taylor. Who wants some? Base price 400,000.

11:22: Bangalore steals Zaheer Khan from Mumbai and Delhi. Zaheer sold for 900,000 to Bangalore! Prize catch! Last minute bid from Bangalore snares the left arm pacer.

11:20: A bit of a tussle between Delhi and Mumbai for Zaheer. 850,000 USD right now with the Mumbai Indians. RCB enters at 900,000.

11:19: Zaheer Khan, India pacer, now. He has a base price of 300,000 USG

11:18: 650,000 USD for Dilshan, bought by Bangalore. A bit of a bargain if you ask me, I think he is definitely worth more.

11:17: Each team can spend a maximum of 9 million, so spending 2.4 million on just Gambhir is quite something.

11:16: Dilshan can be be murderous in this form of the game. Expect skyrocketing prices for the Sri Lankan too.

11:15: Sri Lankan dasher Dilshan under the hammer now.

11:14: What a brilliant start to the auction! Gambhir is sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for 2,400,000 USD. 2.4 million for Gambhir! 11.4 crore for the India opener!

11:12: Gambhir was about to be sold for 1,900,000 but Kolkata comes in with a 2 million bid. Hot property, Gambhir.

11:09: Pune and Mumbai in a bidding war. The bid stands at 800,000 for Pune, but wait, we have a new entrant. Bangalore comes in with 900,000 USD!! The bid is still on, 1 million now by RCB.

11:06: You can cut the tension with a knife. Richard Madley, the auctioneer, puts Gautam Gambhir up for sale. His base price is 200,000. “I hear 250,000 for Mumbai. Now 260,000″. This is exciting. Let us wait and see how much Gautam Gambhir is sold for.

11:04: The IPL chairman Chirayi Amin: “I’d like to congratulate all the team owners and wish you all the best in the auction. Also, good luck to the players.”

11:03: And we’re off! Introductory speeches begin.

11:01: Right, let us go through the rules for a bit. Each team needs to have a sqaud of 30 players, with not more than 10 overseas players.

10:59: I think the most interesting part of today will be the auction of Brian Lara. His base price is 400,000 USD, a bit steep for a player who hasn’t played competitive cricket for three years.