Political Diary

New Delhi, 13 April 2013

Arrogance Of Power

NO WATER, SHOULD I URINATE IN DAMS!

By Poonam I Kaushish

“There is this person from Solapur, sitting on hunger strike for 55 days demanding water be released from the dam. If there is no water in the dam… should I urinate into it? If there is no water to drink, even urinating is not possible.” More. “I have noticed that more children are being born because power goes off at night…seems people have no other work.”

A guffaw of a stand-alone comedian? Should one join the laughter? Alas, these ‘wordy gems’ were espoused by Maharashtra’s Dy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last weekend. Forget the fact that he was mocking the State’s farmers reeling under severe drought and poking fun at the load-shedding in the State. Or that his crass and callous comment sent shockwaves across the country.

Why blame him? He knows no better. Cocooned in the protective embrace of the ‘bullet-proof jacket’ of I-am-a-neta arrogance of power which over-rides all else.  Worse, even as the Opposition brayed for his scalp, the NCP supremo Shard Pawar dismissed his nephew’s diatribe as ‘worse-has-been-said-by-others-so the-matter-end.’ Sic.

Raising a moot point:  Do our leaders know the reality of Asli Bharat which they ad nauseum vow to protect. Importantly, do they care a damn? Bluntly, our politicians who follow the dictum ‘might is right’ and operate like Gangs of Wasseypur have not only lost the plot but are out of sync with the reality.

Living life in the slim strip called ‘official’. Call it plutocracy (rule by wealth), kleptocracy (rule by theft) or powercracy (rule by arrogance) either which way  netas of all shapes and sizes, hues and colours, communal and secular flock together collectively cooing there’s  nothing’s wrong.

Big deal if over 700 millions live below the poverty line whose pangs of hunger are satiated on the plethora of promises doled out at regular intervals. While hundreds of crores of the tax payers hard-earned money is spent by our naam-ke-vaste netagan on showcasing their power via elaborate security paraphernalia, their first public inter-face.  

Think: Over Rs 250 crores is spent only on ‘protecting’ 400+plus VIPs annually. Double the Rs 158 crores to guard over the billion-plus people. In Delhi alone, over 14,200 policemen are deployed on round-the-clock VIP duty. Honey, it conotates the Status of power they wield. 

Not only that. Once in power, status and style matter. Our leaders demand AK 47 wielding security men and yell blue murder if it is withdrawn. Look at the absurdity. Even VIPs who face no threat to their life are given minimal security of four PSOs round the clock. Bringing things to such a ridiculous pass that one sees fat waddly wannabes walking in Delhi’s Lodi garden chest puffed-up to show-off their VIP status and cars.

But it doesn’t end there. Recently, Lok Sabha witnessed an ugly scramble for more VVIP status. Livid MPs yelled blue murder over the down-grading of their security cover. “We are vital for the country… you will have blood on your hands…,” they yelled. Really? Never mind they want protection from the people they profess to protect!

The tragedy is that even as the country saunters into the 21st century for our ruling neo-maharajas the vestige of 19th century India still lingers on. Of which ‘follow-no-rules’ is a fundamental part along-with rule by law. No IDs’, no frisking and long queues, jumping red lights in their ‘lal batti’ cars with an entourage of gun totting commandoes, making a nuisance of themselves et al to exhibit their ‘power’ might. God forbid, if anyone questions their misdemeanor be prepared for open fury.

The most striking aspect of their feudal mentality is that our polity has collectively subordinated national interest to personal egos and aggrandisement. Thus, undermining further the people’s eroding faith in democracy as a desirable system. Even as all the Parties blame each other for the present state of affairs.

Worse, alongside this superciliousness of I-me-myself syndrome is that political goons have emerged as the society’s biggest threat. The recent manhandling and goondaism unleashed by the CPM’s student wing against  West Bengal’s Finance Minister resulting in his torn kurta in New Delhi last week and rampant vandalisation at a university campus in Kolkata over the killing of a student activist bears this out. Shockingly, dismissed as routine politics between the warring Trinimmool and Red brigade!

Why? Over 162 MPs (30%) of Lok Sabha’s 543 and 39 (16%) of Rajya Sabha members today are facing various criminal charges, 76 serious charges. An increase of 17.2% compared to the 2004. If this is bad news, appalling is the situation in the States. UP tops the list with over 189 out of 403 MLAs with declared criminal cases, followed by Maharashtra 146 of 287 MLAs, Bihar 139 of 241 and West Bengal with 102 (35 %) legislators.  Scandalously, recently, a drunken Bihar MLA threatened the Speaker with a sten gun.

Look at the dichotomy. Bizarrely, thanks to loopholes in the Constitution while a person convicted of certain criminal offences is barred from contesting election, the RPA allows an MP and MLA convicted of the same criminal offences to continue as a legislator even after sentencing merely on the grounds that he has filed an appeal against the conviction and till it is disposed of by the court. The raison d’être for this don (read dawn)!

Further, a jailed person does not have the right to vote but has the right to be elected as long as he is not found guilty. Leading to criminals being elected from prison, holding durbars, instructing minions by cellphones and issuing diktats that few dare disobey all from jails.

Being elected won’t get a murderer, mafia boss out of prison but he will get all legislative papers to sign, brought handcuffed to the legislature gates where his handcuffs will be removed to allow ‘freedom’ within the confines of Parliament or Assembly. Once the work is over, the criminal-politico is again handcuffed and taken back to jail. 

One can go on and on about the hedonism going on. Of the majority’s growing disillusionment with the system which explodes in rage whereby more people are taking laws into their own hands. Slowly but surely, the people’s patience is running out, and fast.

Clearly, time our netas realize that there are moments when cynical calculations of political expediency become repugnant. In a Parliamentary democracy, civilized discourse and consideration of the people matter. Political morality and accountability are paramount for good governance

At the end of the day, it is not about who wins the elections as we the people are the ultimate losers. India is too precious a democracy to be lost in labyrinth of heartless political babbling. Our arrogant leaders need to remember two home-truths: Power breeds arrogance and leads to defeat. One who is insulated from India’s reality is but a carcass and will soon fall by his own decay. How much longer will India suffer and bleed? ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)