OMKAR DATTATRAY
The world is witnessing the largest electoral exercise of the biggest democracy of the world. This Tamasha is in fact the Kissa Kursi Ka as it is for electing the government of the people’s choice .The election battle is nothing more than the kissa Kursi Ka as ultimately the election exercise is for gaining power by hook or crook as they say everything is fair in love war and politics .The election fight revolves round the power and thus is the fight for gaining power and the candidates use all the means at their disposal for winning the election and for being seated in the cozy chair .The big election tamasha is all for gaining access to the corridors of power and the candidates use their name, fame ,resources including money and muscle power to gain power and thus the elections in our democracy are for gaining power in the final analysis and nothing more than that .Candidates toil a lot and make use of legitimate and illegitimate means to reach to power and therefore the phrase elections being the Kissa Kursi ka fits appropriately to our elections .Therefore there is no harm in saying that the election rather this crucial general election is a Kissa kursi Ka. The only aim and objective of those participating in elections as candidates is to gain power by any means and be seated in the chair and this is the reason that the toil a lot to gain power .Have you ever wondered what the words ‘Kissa Kursi Ka ‘means in the realm of INDIA’s parliamentary landscape ?Members of parliament -MP’s ,the custodians of the world’s largest democracy ,revel in a plethora of privileges, ,from substantial salaries to opulent perks ,including lavish accommodations and post -retirement benefits .Gujarat is in the middle of one such hullabaloo where a powerful minister despite a huge uproar will not give up his seat. Such is the opium of power intoxicating the MP’s ,MLA’s ,ministers .In the national capital Delhi the AAP chief and the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is not giving up his loved chair despite of being jailed and such great attraction and love of power is there in the public representatives. The perks and privileges are associated with the chair and power ,that the holders of power do not want to distance from power despite facing serious charges and inspite of being jailed .The power opium is making the holders of power mad and they do not part with the power despite being implicated in scams .But what drives the aspiration for political power ,for the title of MP ,or public servant ? Perhaps it is the allure of substantial remuneration coupled with what seems like ‘bare minimum ‘expectations .Thus the huge salaries ,perks and privileges force the public representatives not to give up MP,MLA and ministership despite of being having strong cases of corruption against them .The lure and love for power is so strong that they are reluctant and indifferent to part with the power and they are leeched with the power that they did not part with the power come what may .The whole election battle and fight is for gaining access to power and it can safely be called kissa kursi ka .It is so strange and bad that our elections are reduced to brawls and fights for gaining power by any means and this has given a bad name to our democracy .The fact that after all the whole election exercise is for gaining power and thus it is no exaggeration to say that our elections are the kissa kursi ka and nothing beyond it .Affinity and attraction for power and pelf is so strong that the public representatives do not like to part with the power despite them being involved in malpractices ,corruption and scams with the result the system becomes ill and the people face all kinds of troubles and deprivation.
So what is needed is that the politicians and public representatives should not indulge in power politics instead use power to further the welfare of the people who have voted them to power otherwise it will bring chaos and confusion to the general public and they will lament for having cast vote in the favor of their representatives and it will bring ruin and distance the people from the democracy .
Politicians and public representatives should take power seriously and through it work for the interest of the people and shun the path of deprivation and instead work for the welfare of the general public and then and only then will the democracy thrive otherwise it will always be dubbed as the Kissa Kursi Ka and there will be few takers of our democracy .Democracy being the government of the people ,for the people and by the people should not degenerate into democracy off the people buy the people and far the people and the people will suffer badly
The public representatives should play their positive role .and strengthen the democracy so that the public representatives will deliver to the best of their ability and the democracy will flourish and public good will be the index of vibrant democracy.
The elections should not only be the battle for power but its aim should be the service of the common citizenry so that people will be benefitted and it no more will be only the tale for power but be an agency of deliverance .Thus the narrow perception about our elections should be given a good bye and it should no longer be called the kissa kursi Ka and this will be the triumph of democracy.
The gaining of power should be for the sake of the people who voted for their representatives and should benefit the people .
The power and plef ,name and fame should be for the benefit of the people and it should not be for tasting the power only as through it the democracy will degenerate into jungle law .Kissa Kursi Ka -Tale of Throne is a 1977 Indian Hindi -language political satire film directed by Amrit Nahata and depicts the evil of emergency .To conclude it can be said that Indian elections are in fact the kissa kursi ka and there is need to change this perception of our electoral democracy.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist).