Political Diary
New Delhi,
24 October 2023
Cash-for-Vote
Scam
JILTED LOVE, HENRY & POWER OF
GREED
By Poonam I Kaushish
A swanky new crime
thriller has political Delhi agog spiced by jilted love, expensive gifts,
luxurious holidays, threats, monetary favours, big business topped by a
tug-of-war over Henry, a Rottweiler’s custody. The “Cash for Question” scam
which has engulfed Mamta’s TMC MP Mahua Moitra is a classic case of love gone
sour, swooning over Henry or a tip of iceberg, either way it exposes our
fallacious tryst with morality and Power of Greed. Sic.
It all started with
BJP MP Dubey accusing Moitra of “asking questions in Lok Sabha for cash and
gifts from Dubai-based businessman Hiranandani, demanding her immediate
suspension from the House. Speaker Birla has sent it to the House Ethics
Committee which has summoned both Thursday. Mahua retaliated by filing a
defamation case against Dubey and ex-partner Supreme Court lawyer Dehadrai accusing
them of extracting “political and personal vendetta.”
The matter took a turn
with Hiranandani sending a sworn affidavit to the Committee endorsing the
allegations stating “she quickly wanted to make a name ….using the shortest
route to fame by personally attacking Prime Minister Modi and had given him her
Parliament login password.” It’s another
matter that he had earlier denied the allegations by saying he has nothing to
do with politics.
Despondency or
revulsion aside, what’s so special about this case which we already haven’t
witnessed in 2011, 2005, 1996 and 1993? Recall in December 2005 a sting
operation by two journalists showed 11 MPs taking cash for raising questions in
Parliament. They were immediately expelled and in 2011 charge-sheeted by
police.
Earlier on 20 July
1993 a CPM MP moved a No Confidence Motion against Narasimha Rao’s minority
Congress Government. The Congress had 251 of 528 Lok Sabha MPs, but it defeated
the motion with 265 votes by ‘garnering’ 14 missing votes.
Remember JMM MP Suraj
Mandal who in 1996 filed a complaint with CBI alleging 14 MPs including him were
paid over Rs. 3 crores for voting Congress.
In an iconic speech in Lok Sabha said he: “Which MP does not take money…
I know the people who have made money from coal and iron extracted…taken
donations, money in thailis and gathris…
Adding, “Do saand ke beech bachchre ko
kyon la rahe ho?” (referring to Congress and BJP). His speech was heard in
pin-drop silence. None protested. How
could they? He was only speaking the truth.
Wring your hands all
you want, but that does not take away from the fact that absence of probity at
all levels of public life is common knowledge and morality, honesty and
integrity are words non-existent in the political vocabulary.
The latest
cash-for-query scam only highlights the deep malaise that affects our political
system. In fact, the under-belly of power politics has become more shameless,
rotten, ugly and raw to the gutter level. Fame and power at any cost no matter
what it takes. Forget Constitutional morality.
Today, it suits the
ruling BJP to go to town raving and ranting, appear horrified, adopt a
holier-than-thou attitude and profess to uphold the best tenets of
Parliamentary democracy. Sic. Even as Opposition INDIA bloc maintains pin drop
silence and Moitra’s TMC plays deaf and dumb, for reasons best known to it.
Arguably, in a milieu
wherein large suitcases are proving too small to stuff political skeletons, the
moot point is: How can our right Honourables ‘sell’ the dignity and honour of
Parliament for money? Worse, there is no remorse on an issue which impinges on
the essence, dignity and credibility of Parliament? When will our netagan stop their immoral dhanda? Who is the culprit in whose
eyes? Had our MPs gone in for some soul-cleansing, taken timely action and
stemmed the rot in 1993, 1996, 2005, 2011, 2023 would not have happened.
But it did. Bluntly,
because politics continues to be all about money, honey. Whereby,
buying-selling of votes is on auto-mode happening all the time. Wads of notes
are exchanged at a drop of a hat. It’s open secret that in the business of
democracy everything comes for a price including politicians. It happens all
the time, where wads of green dictate political discourse. And going to jail is
fast becoming a badge of honour!
Today we live in an
era, where public morality and practical politics has acquired a particularly
grotesque dimension whereby nine out of ten cases go unreported. Confessed a seasoned politician: Is hamam me hum sab nange hain. Na BJP mein hain danav, na Congresss mein
devta. An honest MP is one who is not caught.”
Succinctly remarked an
INDIA MP, “BJP is hurting because we are raising uncomfortable questions about
Adani, Modi’s crony… they are only settling political scores, it has nothing to
do with being corrupt or clean. Law will take its course but the main verdict
comes from the electorate.” Conveniently, forgetting that an electoral victory
does not erase moral turpitude.
So unlike 1951 when MP
Mudgal was charged with dubious dealings with the Bombay Bullion Exchange and had
taken Rs 1000 each on two occasions to ask questions suggested by it. He had
also asked for Rs 20,000 from its President reportedly for preparing a pamphlet
and memorandum.
Interestingly, Prime
Minister Nehru himself investigated the matter and said in Lok Sabha, “I met
him twice but the explanation he gave me was not satisfactory. … His conduct is
highly derogatory and highly objectionable.”
However, Mudgal pre-empted his expulsion and resigned, thereby setting a
benchmark for accountability of legislators.
What next? The issue
is not Dubey vs Mohua for both need to
remember Mark Twain. Said he, “Confession is good for the soul and
bad for the reputation.” That aside, it once
again underscores our politicians are expected to be a notch above ordinary
mortals and hence ‘more equal.’ Time our polity realises people placed in
positions of legislation or power must take extra steps to insure that their
private interests do not compete with their professional duties.
When the leaders
become perpetrators who will judge the guilty? Our netas need to desist from Greed for Power and Power of Greed. Given
that when an undataa becomes a saudagar , the aam aadmi is bound to become
garib!
All in all, the coming
days are crucial. It is in the interest of healthy democracy that unhealthy
precedents are not set. Parliamentary democracy can succeed only when rules of
the game are followed honestly.
The success of the
investigation into the cash-for-vote scam and bringing the guilty to book would
be a much-needed course correction. Perhaps chart a new dimension in upholding
the best tenets of Parliamentary morality and probity.
Our netagan need to remember a home-truth:
Public accountability is indispensable in a democratic set-up. With power comes
responsibility. Time for our leaders to wake up from their deep slumber of self
conceit and deception of money hai to
power hai! ---- INFA
(Copyright, India News
& Feature Alliance)
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