Remember Satyam?
Way back in January 2009, the head of the information technology company Satyam Computer Services admitted to what was, at the time, billed as India's biggest corporate fraud, to the tune of (gasp) $1 billion.
That number, and the fact that the scandal was prompted by the chairman's own regretful confession, seems a bit quaint now. Instead, there's a daily barrage of screaming newspape r headlines and screaming news anchors reporting on the latest allegations of corruption.
This unrelenting coverage has to a large extent been fueled by activist-turned- politician Arvind Kejriwal, as Manu Joseph pointed out in the International Herald Tribune on Thursday. Â His vitriolic nonpartisan attacks on politicians are a foundation for launching his own political career. The media have been quick to latch on to his leads and have done solid follow-up reporting on some cases.
Mr. Kejriwal recently accused Salman Khurshid, India's law and minority affairs minister, of siphoning off funds from a trust meant for the disabled. Â Other high-profile targets include Robert Vadra, son-in-law of the Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, and Nitin Gadkari, president of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, both of whom Mr. Kejriwal accused of using their political clout to seek undue favors in personal business dealings.
The gove rning Congress Party and the leading opposition have used this opportunity to start a full-scale battle, taking pot shots at each other by throwing new names on the long list of allegedly tainted leaders. Virbhadra Singh, a Congress leader from Himachal Pradesh, was accused by the B.J.P. of tax evasion and graft in land dealings, as the state readies for elections.
So what's the average citizen, bombarded with endless examples of politicians doing corrupt things, to think? Are India's voters finally getting to a point where they don't care anymore?
We turned to - where else? - Twitter to get a sense of what people think.
Let's start with some reactions to the prime minister's office's Dussehra tweet on Tuesday evening:
PM:Victories of Lord Ram and Goddess Durga signify the triumph of good over evil â" an inspiration for us to follow the path of righteousness
- Dr Manmohan Singh (@PMOIndia) October 24, 2012
< /blockquote>Responding to greetings from the prime minister's office, â@ChetanRachitck wrote:
@pmoindia you r not seeing evil near you., change your glasses., (specs) Pawar, Chidambaram, Khurhid, Virbhadra, Jaiswal, Rajeev Shukla ???
- Chetan Kothari (@ChetanRachitck) October 25, 2012
Demanding the ouster of the Congress-led government, calling it the victory of the common man over the corrupt government, @samekshagadh  wrote:
@pmoindia @janlokpal victory of good over evil on broader term is victory of mango ppl over govt of banana republic #corruptCongress mst GO
- sameksha gadh (@samekshagadh) October 24, 2012
Sometimes, the only defense to an overload of information is an attempt at humor. Like these folks:
âBakkar-OMamaâ wrote: Â Â ÂRobert Vadra does a DLF â" âDelete Link from Facebook' while Gadkari can't figure out Deactivate button.Open to Enquiry @ndtv
- Bakkar-Omama (@BakkarOMama) October 25, 2012
Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats  wrote:
Kejriwal challenges Sonia & MMS to public debate. One-sided no? MMS has hardly met the public, while Sonia has never encountered any debate.
- Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) October 21, 2012
BREAKING: âExpose me please,â little-known corrupt politician requests Arvind Kejriwal fakingnews.com/2012/10/expose⦠#IAC
- Faking News (@fakingnews) October 20, 2012
The shortest way to describe Congress Party: âFrom Votebank to Swiss Bankâ
- Ki ran Kumar S (@KiranKS) October 20, 2012
But despair also seems a common response:
Faizabad and Hyderabad burning but media is on fire with Gadkari rank.Where are we heading?
- VB Singh (@vbsingh60) October 25, 2012
Despite the numbing overdose of corruption cases, there are still plenty of people who are ready to fight, though:
All those who stand against corruption should join @arvindkejriwal7 when he goes to Farrukhabad. How much blood can Khurshid shed?
- Pritish Nandy (@PritishNandy) October 17, 2012