Political
Diary
New Delhi, 23 August
2022
Greed
For Power
KATIL
=NETA, TOH KYA
By
Poonam I Kaushish
We
hang petty thieves and elect criminals to public office. Three stories, one in
Delhi which smacks of vindictive politics, corruption or bad policy or all.
Second in Bihar and third in Maharashtra which bare India’s ruthless truth:
Greed for power whereby an MP and MLA tag is the ultimate ‘bullet proof jacket’
for mafia dons, katils and apradhees. A new
‘don’ (dawn) of criminals banne neta enveloping all Parties
after all jo jeeta wohi sikander in our rajniti
bazaar!
Delhi’s Dy Chief Minister is raided by CBI for its
controversial excise policy now revoked, and an FIR is filed against him and 15
others for rules and procedural violations, cartelization and kickbacks. His
innocence or lack of it will only be known after law takes its own course. Sic.
Coming on the heels of AAP’s Health Minister Satyendra Jain
already in lock-up for money laundering Kejriwal yells blue murder of
Machiavellian vindictive politics by BJP of using ED and CBI against political
rivals a la TMC’s Minister Partha Chatterjee, Thackeray Shiv
Sena’s Sanjay Raut, Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik. BJP counters by reminding
Congress that Congress Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was a caged parrot. A
classic case of pot calling the kettle black.
Appallingly,
in Nitish Kumar’s new JD(U)-RJD Bihar Cabinet 23
of 33 Ministers (75%) have declared criminal cases against them, of whom
17 (53%) have declared serious criminal cases against them, according to
Association for Democratic Reform. Lalu’s RJD tops the list with 15 of 17
followed by four of 11 JD(U). Also there is an upswing of 10% of
criminal netas compared to previous Assembly
Certainly, one can
argue in a milieu where apradhi-banne-netas bahubalis, murderers
and gangsters are in great demand as crime appears to have an electoral
edge over honesty. However the antics of Bihar’s new Law Minister Kartik
Singh who faces arrest in a kidnapping case marks a new low in power
politics.
Shockingly, he
preferred to take oath than surrender in court Tuesday last. Additionally,
Singh faces four other criminal cases of kidnapping, extortion and theft
according to his poll affidavit. Showcasing democracy is boxed
in three stages --- mafia box, cartridge box and ballot box. So much for
ushering in safedi ki chamkaan wali politics!
In Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde’s
Shiv-Sena-BJP 18-member Cabinet 15 (75%) Ministers have serious criminal cases
against them, 7 from Shinde’s SS and 8 BJP. But Food Mantri Sanjay
Rathod tale has a different twist. The BJP brayed for his blood when he was Forest Minister in Thackeray’s erstwhile
Government for a woman's suicide. Today all is forgotten in the new bonhomie of chor
chor mausere bhai.
Despaired, forget it, there’s worse. Of 539 Right
Honourables 233 (43%) have criminal cases, 29% of which are serious: 10 MPs
have convicted cases, 11 cases related to murder, 30 attempt to murder and 19
crimes against women. BJP tops the ignominy list with 116 (39%) of 301 MPs,
Congress 29 (57%) of 53, JD(U) 13 (81%), DMK 10 (43%) and TMC 9
(41%).
Worse, a whopping 2,556 MPs and MLAs from 22 States are accused in criminal
cases. One Congress MP has 204 cases including culpable homicide,
house trespass, robbery and criminal intimidation. A 100% increase from
24% in 2004, 30% in 2009 and 34% in 2014.
Ulta Pulta UP boasts of
dons Raju Bhaiya who has been MLA since 1993 despite murder and kidnapping
cases, Mukhtar Ansari has won 5 elections but still calls the shots, 32 cases
ranging from culpable homicide, dacoity and murder have not ended
Samajwadi’s Yogesh Verma’s two decade-long political career.
Crime and politics are so intertwined that a "clean
politician" sounds like an oxymoron, a breed that no longer exists. At
grassroots levels, Parties depend on strongmen to corral support, often along
caste-religious lines and funds campaigns. Over time, bahubalis become
more powerful and popular enjoying a reputation of ‘getting stuff done’ thanks
to a dysfunctional State and judicial services. Parties are not interested in
long-term fixes, only ad hoc favours and someone who is feared.
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 wherein our jan sevaks dance
to their underworld benefactors tune at the cost of janata, democratic
ethos and good governance. So what if they are the biggest threat to society
and nation.
Voters support criminals who wear their disrepute as a
badge of honor as social divisions driven by caste, religion, social and gender
inequities are sharp as Government fails to dispense justice, provide security
and deliver services along-with prolonged trials in court and lower conviction
rates. Scandalously, only 6% cases against MPs-MLAs ended in conviction, in 18
of 29 States and 2 of 7 UTs’ there were no convictions for murder, kidnapping
and criminal intimidation.
Observed Supreme Court July last, “There is unity in
diversity. We have been telling legislature to act against candidates against
whom charges have been framed but nothing has been done. Nothing is done and
nothing will ever be done by any Party to prevent criminals from entering
politics and standing for elections.”
It
is this mutual benefit and camaraderie between criminal-Party nexus which
is cause célèbre for our netagan resisting
passing any legislation that would rid politics of the cancer
of three C’s --- criminalization, corruption and crisis of
credibility. See, how our leaders divide along Party lines on most issues but
play deaf, dumb and blind when it comes to taking steps to address this
problem.
Coupled with spiraling poll costs alongside an opaque
election financing system characterized by Parties and candidates under-reporting
collections and expenses results in Parties preferring cash-lush candidates,
many who are on Law’s wrong side. Plainly, it all comes down to money as
all are ek he thaali ke chate bate!
Most
distressing is that it doesn’t strike any chord anywhere. With every passing
election, the phenomenon of criminals-turned-politicos no longer shocks or
causes mass protests. It is slowly becoming an accepted norm, part of one’s
routine.
Questionably,
does the electorate want honest politicians and a clean Government? Doesn’t
seem so. According to a recent report 45.5% ‘criminal’ candidates win against
24.7% with a clean background. Unreachable by law, they are the law and
all-powerful.
It is imperative Parliament evolve a mechanism to
decriminalize politics at every level of Government. Unless Parliament amends
Article 102 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of
People’s Act to disqualify unworthy candidates, nothing will change as
currently, even candidates jailed for less than two years can contest
elections. Alongside, Parties need to revoke membership of tainted candidates,
educate voters, increase democratic participation by creating the right
conditions for de-criminalisation of politics.
We
need to answer three questions. How many murder charges are required before one
is considered unfit to represent the people of India? How long will our
criminal-politicos slug it out for “bullet-proof jackets” --- MP-MLA’s tag? Are
there no honest and capable netas? Else be prepared today’s criminal
king-makers may be tomorrow’s kings! ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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