Recently, Saloni Khanna, a UPSC interviewer and self-proclaimed economist, who made headlines due to a controversial statement, said that “corruption is the grease of the economy, so it should continue”. This statement has not only sparked debate on social media but has also fueled new discussions among people about corruption and the economy.
The video clip of the controversial statement has been shared by former Twitter ‘X’ handle ‘Bala’. In the video, Saloni Khanna says, “As an economist, corruption is the grease of the economy, so it should continue. If there is no corruption, the economy will run very slowly, it will affect business, it will affect productivity, it will affect GDP and the production of the whole country will also be affected.”
Saloni Khanna believes that without corruption, many government processes can be very slow and ineffective. According to her, corruption is a kind of “oil” that speeds up the administrative machinery. This statement by Saloni Khanna has received sharp reactions on social media. Many people reject it and consider it morally wrong and economically harmful.
Such ideas promoting corruption not only encourage improper conduct in society but also weaken the credibility of government institutions. This statement forces us to think whether corruption in any form can be beneficial to society or is just a myth that is tried to be justified from time to time. Honesty and transparency are essential elements for the development and prosperity of any society, and corruption in any form should not be accepted.
After watching the video, users shared various types of reactions in which most of the people rejected Saloni’s concept and considered it harmful and gave their opinions.
A user writes, ‘Means she will promote corruption and herself will become a corrupt employee.’
Another user writes, ‘I have read economics and read a variety of papers on economic policies and human behavior around it. This grease thing is new and sounds kind of made up. Her logic is also flawed. There are countries with a low level of corruption, never seen them operating slow at any level.’
