Not a healthy trend
By: Lalit Garg
The 18th Lok Sabha has been elected in the country. The world’s largest democracy and record number of voters are to be proud of, but there are also disturbing trends that have surfaced during the conduct of this exercise.
The news is that out of the 543 members of Lok Sabha elected recently, no less than 46 percent have criminal records, which is three percent more than the last time. In Indian politics, people with criminal image or facing criminal charges are the potential threat to the government and the nation both, in every conceivable way, which is a matter of worry for every citizen.
Will the democratic purity and sanctity of the country be protected in this situation? Will these tainted people not criminalize our system over time? The latest report by the Association of Democratic Reforms, an advisory body that analyses issues related to the criminals in Indian politics, shows that while 233 (43%) of the MPs elected in 2019 had accepted criminal cases registered against them, 251 MPs elected for the 18th Lok Sabha have accepted criminal cases registered against them, which is 46% of the total number.
Today, a big question is how to make Indian politics crime-free. It is not without reason that the increasing interference by criminals in Indian politics has created such a problem that instead of appearing in court, an MP who is accused of kidnapping reaches Rashtrapati Bhawan to take oath as a minister.
Leaders like Arvind Kejriwal say in the general elections that the people should vote for Aam Aadmi Party in large numbers, so that he can be saved from going to jail. Here the most important question is how will we establish a good governance and honest system by giving responsible positions to such characterless and criminal elements?
How will he live up to the trust of the general public? How will the doors be closed for the tainted persons to reach the Parliament? In fact, on the alert initiative by the Supreme Court, all political parties have started publishing the criminal records of Lok Sabha and Assembly candidates since the year 2020.
Certainly, the purpose of this order was to free the country’s politics from the crooks tainted with criminal image. But in reality this did not happen, because the priority of all political parties was to pt their bet on the winning candidates, even if they had a criminal record.
The big question is who will present the ideal in politics then? What happened to those people who always presented the ideal picture by making every sacrifice possible? They became exemplary for millions, became ideals– whether it was the freedom struggle, security of the country, security of religion, protection of their word or the question of protection of their culture and identity, they sacrificed everything to fulfill their duty and promise.
Heroes like Maharana Pratap, Bhagat Singh, Durgadas, Chhatrasal, Shivaji made big sacrifices by abandoning all comforts of life. Guru Govind Singh got both his sons bricked into the wall and Panna Dhay sacrificed her son for her devotion to her master. Temples should be built for such people. If their temples are not built, people bow their heads in reverence, as soon as their names are mentioned.
But the way our national life and thinking have been distorted today, our politics has become selfish and narrow-minded, our behaviour has become false, we have worn more masks than faces, it has destroyed all our values. With the rise of criminals in politics, citizens of the nation are worried and confused about the future of the country.
The time has come when some top people will have to make Herculean efforts to protect the country’s culture, glorious heritage. A new standard will have to be set before the directionless leadership class.
If a person is accused in any murder, kidnapping, murder or any other serious crime, then the attempt to protect him by calling him a political person, or the evil attempt to take political advantage will have to be stopped. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always given priority to corruption and crime free politics, but in the battle to win elections, he has also been seen giving shelter to criminal politicians.
All political parties have given tickets to tainted candidates. This highlights the huge difference between the words and actions of political parties. The question is– what will be our future if such tainted people who formulate policies for the country continue to be the makers of our destiny?
Will people with criminal backgrounds not affect our law and order after being elected as public representatives? What will be the future of our society and system? Why don’t the leaders who talk about all the ideals and question the actions of the leaders of other parties take honest initiative to free politics from the dominance of criminals? Why don’t all political parties agree for purity and sanctity in Indian democracy?
Certainly, if no serious initiative is taken in this direction in time, then this percentage of tainted people will continue to increase in the coming years. Along with this, the big crisis is that the dominance of leaders who have become millionaires by hook or crook is increasing in the lower house of the country.
This time, there are 504 millionaires among the MPs elected to the Parliament. In such a situation, can it be expected that a common man who lives off his hard-earned money can ever think of becoming an MP? Tainted and criminal politicians are becoming a big irony and anomaly of democracy.
It is not just about the Lok Sabha, there is such a contradiction and anomaly in the governments of various states that a leader with a criminal image becomes the Law Minister, an illiterate or less educated representative is made the Education Minister. The same happens with other important ministries.
What kind of helplessness is this of political parties? Often the reality of the claim of making politics crime-free comes to the fore when the opportunity comes to form a coalition government in a state or at the Centre. It is a matter of happiness that such helplessness has been controlled to a great extent in the cabinet of the coalition government formed at the Centre.
Only one demand is heard from those who protect the nation on the borders that after death our dead body should be sent to our home. When we read such things, our head salutes those soldiers; it seems that the spirit of patriotism and sacrifice has not died yet. But when will such an ideal be present in politics?
The light of the lamp of character and morality in politics has become dim; oil will have to be poured. Whether it is the CBI raids and prison bars on the houses of ministers in the Delhi government or the coronation of criminal elements in the formation of the Bihar Council of Ministers, these are serious issues on which there should be an intense debate in politics, there should be a meaningful effort to purify politics, this should be the priorities of new India – strong India.
Everyone is running and shouting for their identity and self-interest. Some try to establish their independent identity with money, some with their beauty, some with their scholarship, some with their behaviour. The condition of politics is even worse that here leaders resort to crime, corruption and immorality to rule the hearts of the people.
There are attempts to divide the people on the basis of caste, regional, and communalism. But how much illusion do we nurture? Identity is not built without character. Everything else is temporary.
Character is a sadhana, austerity. Just as the belly of ego is big, it needs something or the other every day. Similarly, political character needs daily protection and all this can be achieved only with strong morale, clean image, honesty and freedom from crime. In politics, only a leader with character and morality is respectable and acceptable.
(The author is a Writer, Journalist and a Columnist)
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