Rifat Jawaid, Editor-in-Chief
The Magsasay Award winner and the former Chief Vigilance Officer of AIIMS, Sanjeev Chaturvedi has said that the central government under Narendra Modi was working against anti-corruption forces.
Speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.jantakareporter.com, the anti-corruption crusader said, “inka attitude anti corruption ke forces ke khilaf raha hai. ham log as public servants samvidhan se bandhe huwe hain. hamare liye to samvidhan hi sab se badi ideology hai. koi bhi party ho ya sarkar ho, hamein na pehle farq pada tha na ab padega. na maine kisi expectations ke saath koi kaam kiya na kisi anjam ki koi parwah ki. (This government’s attitude has all along been against those fighting against corruption. As public servants, we are bound by the constitution. For us the constitution of India is our biggest ideology. Political parties and governments have neither bothered me in the past nor does it bother me now. Neither have I ever had any expectations nor have I ever worried about the consequences.)”
Chaturvedi said that he never felt rattled even in the midst of the continuous harassment by the central government because ‘I’ve been on the path of honesty’ adding that even in the worst of time, the idea of compromising never occurred to him.
He said, ” The question of compromising doesn’t arise. I’ve always been determined to do my work with utmost honesty and integrity. As for the rest, like Amitabh Bachchan says in film Deewar, ‘mere pass billa no. 786 hai’, even I have the protection of God. jab tak upar wala saath hai, neeche wala kya bigadega. jab main sachchayi ke raaste par hoon aur upar wale par mera faith hai to main kyon ghabraaon (Human beings can’t hurt you as long as God is with you. I have faith in God, so why should I worry?)”
The former AIIMS CVO also dedicated his Magsaysay award to ‘all honest officers in the country.’
He added, ” yeah saare imaandar afsaron keliye khushi ka mauqa hai, yeah koi mera akele ka ward nahi hai. yeah desh ke saare imaandar afsaron keliye sammaan ki baat hai. I hope is ka unke morale par achcha impact hoga. (This is a moment of joy and pride for every honest officer in the country. I hope this will positively impact their morale.)”
On being asked why more and more people are getting hounded and harassed in India while receiving recognition internationally, Chaturvedi said that it was because of the absence of ‘character in the country.’
He explained, “We hardly work on building charitra (character). Itne achche resources, itni achchi mitti, agar yeah sab Japan ya Israel ko de diye hote to pata nahi unho ne apne desho ko kya se kya bana diya hota. character nahi hai hamara kya kijiyega. ( Such good resources and such rich heritage, if Japan and Israel possessed them, they would changed the fortune of their countries. We don’t have character, it can’t be helped?)”
Whistleblower and bureaucrat Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta, founder of NGO Goonj were among Indians who were awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2014 on Wednesday.
Chaturvedi, who has earlier served as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at AIIMS during 2012-14, is an Indian Forest Service officer and currently the deputy secretary of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
In 2014, Chaturvedi was relieved from the additional charge of CVO. Although he continued to retain the Deputy Director post at AIIMS, allegations emerged that his removal from the CVO post was a result of campaign by corrupt officials. There were also allegations that the BJP leader JP Nadda was acting against Chaturvedi on behalf of Vineet Chaudhary, an IAS officer from his own state, Himachal Pradesh.
During his stint as AIIMS CVO, Chaturvedi initiated actions in around 200 corruption cases; punishment was imposed in 78 cases, chargesheet was filed in 87 cases and more than 20 cases were referred to CBI for criminal investigation.
Prior to being posted in Delhi, the top officer was also responsible for unearthing several scams in Haryana, where he had complained of threats and harassment before asking for change in cadre.
