Webdesk: A video recently surfaced from Bihar, India, capturing a shocking moment where an Indian politician openly hands money to a journalist on camera, an act that can be widely seen as a blatant case of political corruption.
Instant money scheme. Salute the confidence with which he shows himself accepting money from the politician ahead of Bihar elections.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 28, 2025
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The timing is critical, as it comes just ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. The footage has intensified growing concerns about the use of “money power” in Indian politics, an issue highlighted in numerous reports and studies over the years.
The video adds to the long-standing narrative of systemic corruption in Indian public life. Research, including a 2009 study comparing Asian economies and a 2006 report on construction mafias in Uttar Pradesh, illustrates how corruption is deeply embedded in political and bureaucratic systems.
These corrupt practices often stall development, drain public resources, and erode trust in institutions.
The man in the video is reported to be Rajesh Ranjan, commonly referred to as Pappu Yadav, who can be seen giving the bribe matter-of-factly. Yadav is a senior Indian politician born on 24 December 1967 and is a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Purnia.
His entry into politics in the 1990s was controversial, but he has been elected to Parliament several times to the Lok Sabha, in 1991 and 1996, 1999, 2004, 2014 and most recently in 2024.
He has served as a legislator with different banners such as the Samajwadi Party, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), but his party influence politics have always been considered mostly independent of a particular party, according to internet sources.
Corruption and bribery remains a major challenge across all levels of Indian governance, central, state, and local. It is widely seen as one of the major factors holding back the country’s economic potential.
A 2005 survey by Transparency International found that more than 62 per cent of Indians had paid bribes for basic services. In 2008, another report revealed that about half the population had relied on bribes or personal connections to get things done through public offices.
With only 38 points out of 100, India ranked number 96 out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. The highest score in the Asia Pacific region was 84, an average of 44, and the lowest was 16. The overall world average is 43, and the least corrupt country has 90, while the most corrupt has only 8.
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