Political Diary
New
Delhi, 2 October 2018
Muscle + Murder +
Money = MP/MLA
WILL PARTIES GIVE
‘SUPARI’ TO RID DONS?
By Poonam I Kaushish
Crime
does not pay … as well as politics wherein our Parliamentary system has now
been hijacked by the criminalisation of politics wherein thousands of our
criminal-politicos flaunt their “bullet-proof jackets” --- MPs and MLAs tag and
aver, “Ab kis ka dam hai ki mujhe
encounter me mare.” Welcome a new don (dawn) of criminals banne neta, jo jeeta wohi sikander!
Not
any more if the Supreme Court has its way and say. Lamenting the bitter
manifest truth whereby criminalisation in politics had become a termite to the
citadel of democracy, it directed candidates to divulge their criminal past to
the Election Commission in “block letters,” make full disclosures of the
criminal cases pending against them to the Parties which in turn, should display
the complete details of these candidates on their websites for public
consumption to foster and nurture an informed citizenry.
Further,
both the candidate and Party should declare the candidate’s criminal
antecedents in widely-circulated newspapers and give the criminal record “wide
publicity” by airing it on TV channels, not once, but thrice after the filing
of nomination papers.
However,
for reasons best known to the five-judge Constitution Bench, it refused to
disqualify and ban candidates facing trial for heinous crimes from contesting
elections but urged Parliament to bring a “strong law” to “cleanse” Parties of
leaders facing trial for “heinous and grievous” crimes, such as rape, murder
and kidnapping and refuse ticket to offenders in both Parliamentary and
Assembly polls. Arguing, rapid criminalisation of politics cannot be arrested
by merely disqualifying tainted legislators.
Certainly,
the judgment, in one sense is distinctive as it compels Parties to come clean
about the criminal elements within and opens a new landscape of breaking the
crime-politics nexus which extends beyond legislators and encompasses Parties.
Yet, this is easier said than done as winning at all cost is the new normal of
political morality. Brutally underscored by an Election Commissioner: “The
winner can commit no sin. Once elected an MP or MLA a criminal is cleansed of
all criminality.”
Sadly,
the blame for this descent of political discourse into the depth of
skullduggery lies squarely with Parties. Quick to crack the whip and complain
to the EC about rivals, they shy away from bringing a legislation crying a halt
to criminalization of politics. Primarily because the kursi is the most luscious mistress to be loved, raped and
conquered at all costs along-with the paisa
that goes with it.
Consequently,
in a milieu where money and muscle power have become the supreme power, no
Party and its netas talk about their
plans to propel the country forward. Neither are they worried about selecting
the right candidates on the basis of character, integrity, honesty et al. Win-ability
not acceptance holds the key alongside a criminal paradigm which decide who
deserves to be a legislator.
With
power translating into a number game, Parties field mafia dons as they convert
their muscle power into votes, often at gun point and emerge victorious. The
arrangement works on a quid-pro-quo. Candidates with criminal connections are
attractive to Parties as they often have deep pockets of cold, hard cash to
fund and fight elections and in turn Parties give criminals protection from the
law and respectability in society. Topped, by criminal candidates presenting
themselves as Robin Hood-like figures.
Our
politico-criminals are paraded as prized bulls and portrayed as safedi ki chamkan compared to their chor brethren who are unfit to rule,
leave alone provide good and honest governance. Consequently, the State has
become a battleground of mafia dons, their senas,
armed brigades and ideologically indoctrinated lumpens. Big deal if they are the
biggest threat to society and nation.
Shockingly,
of the 541 MPs today 186 (34%) face serious criminal charges including murder
(9), attempted murder (17), kidnapping and crimes against women. Worse, the
number has steadily risen since 2004. Out of 543 Lok Sabha MPs in 2009-14 162
(30%) had cases pending, up from 128 (24%) in 2004-09. Further, more than 30%,
1460 of 4807 sitting MPs and MLAs have declared criminal cases, 688 of whom
with “serious” charges.
Appalling
is the situation in States. Shockingly, Jharkhand has the highest percentage
74% of MLAs with cases pending (55 out of 74 MLAs), Bihar 58% and UP with 47%.
More scandalous, Parties present an ugly picture. The JMM accounts for 82 %,
RJD 64% SP 48%, BJP 31% and Congress 21% of criminal MPs and MLAs’.
From
criminalisation of politics to the politicisation of crime, India has come a
full circle. Yesterday’s mafia dons are today our Right Honourables.
Unreachable by the long arms of law, they are the law and all-powerful.
Bringing things to such a pass that our elected jan sevaks now dance to the tune of their underworld benefactors at
the cost of the janata, democratic
ethos and good governance.
Think.
Mafia dons have been elected from prisons, some MPs continue to hold durbars in
jail, with all home comforts, instruct chamchas
via cellphone and rule their empire, issuing diktats that few dare disobey.
Not a few take the anticipatory bail route to avoid arrest, others simply
abscond only to "surrender" when ready. It defies logic that instead
of being shunned Lalu’s RJD came up trumps in the Bihar elections despite him
being in jail.
One
could dismiss this politicization of crime as an evolving phase of our
democratic process. But the tragedy is that the only thing that matters is on
whose side the criminal is. His or ours? They are all the same. Only the
degrees differ. A vicious circle of you scratch my back, I scratch yours!
Akin
to the famous story. An angry man tells an American official that the man the
US was championing abroad was “a son of a bitch”! Pat came the response, “Yes;
but he’s our son of a bitch”!
It
is this mutual benefit and camaraderie between the criminal-Party nexus which
is the cause célèbre for our netagan resisting passing any
legislation that would rid politics of the cancer of the three C’s ---
criminalization, corruption and crisis of credibility. See, how our MPs and
MLAs divide along Party lines on most issues but close ranks when it comes to
taking steps to addressing this problem.
What
next? Where do we go from here? No longer can we merely shrug our shoulders and
dismiss it as political kalyug. India
is today at the moral crossroads. Specially against the backdrop of our
politicians having perfected the art of cultivating low morality and high
greed.
The
Supreme Court has exposed India’s political nadir. How many murder charges are
required before one is considered unfit to represent the people of India? Are
there no honest and capable netas? Can
a nation be bare and bereft of all sense of shame and morality? And, for how
long?
Time
our polity re-thinks their priorities, bite the bullet and pass a legislation
that bars criminals and mafia dons from entering the political arena. Can our netas rise to the occasion and protect
the culture and purity in politics? Remember, the country can no longer allow
small men to continue to cast big shadows as nothing costs a nation more than criminal
politician! ---- INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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