Shiv Kumar Padha
The standard, moral and ethical values of the public representatives, who were ever considered as the esteemed persons of the society, have come too low to be called as credible spokespersons of those who exhibit blind faith and repose full confidence in their integrity and sincerity towards them. Due to their incredible and unpredictable behavior, people are losing their faith and confidence gradually in them. Owing to their smoky attitude and behavior they are being compared with the one double hood snakes where nobody can guess whether they are coming towards or going away. The integrity and conduct of majority of our parliamentarians and those of the legislators have come under scanner which have compelled the voter to trust the distrustful person than to trust the so called public representatives.
Who, in India, doesn’t want to become parliamentarian or legislator where money and position makes the mare go. The political arena has become the prerogative of the rich, elite class and the legacy of the political champions who have been sitting in the higher echelons of power and position since decades together. According to them, investment in the political market has become more profitable than in any other professions as politics is no more considered a pious and noble job these days but has become one time investment and whole life benefit, where there is no danger of losing the capital rather the investment goes on multiplying even up to their coming generations. People have seen how an ordinary man, after jumping in the politics and attaining the position of a legislator or parliamentarian becomes multimillionaire over night. The unlimited power, opportunities and avenues of creating assets disproportionate to their source of income salivates them which in turn becomes the biggest and uncontrollable temptation for the rich and upper strata of the Indian society.
The process of Defection in the Indian politics, changing the loyalties and crossing the floors by the legislators and the parliamentarians for personal loaves and fishes of the offices has been considered and accepted as a common phenomena in the Indian political scenario ever since the dawn of independence in the country which has resulted into the fall of many people friendly governments and formation of the opportunist one’s, which tantamount to the betrayal and breach of confidence with the gullible voters.
In political scenario defection is a situation when a member or a group of political party leaves his party and joins hands with other for the personal or defecting group benefits. The 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which talks about the anti- defection law, is designed to prevent political defections prompted by the lure of office or material benefits or other like considerations. The anti defection law was passed by Parliament in 1985 and reinforced in 2002. As per the 1985 act. A defection by one person will be considered as defection and by one third of the elected members of a political party a merger. But the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act 2003 changed this and now at least two thirds of the members of a party must be in favor of the merger for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.
Defection by the legislators occurs in many democracies which undermine the stability of the cabinet which is dependent on the support of the elected legislators. Such instability can amount to a betrayal of the people’s mandate as voiced at the time of elections. Following the recommendations from many constitutional bodies, Parliament, in2003 passed the ninety- first amendment to the constitution of India. The strengthened the act by adding the provisions for the disqualification of defectors and banning them from being appointed as ministers for a period of time.
It will be pertinent to call the preceding decade, since, 2014, a decade of political tsunami which has taken many so called honest, democratic, secular, honest political champions in its spate. Who are, in a state of confusion, changing their loyalties like the attires? They are in a fix which political party suits to their individual hidden agenda and which can help secure a lucrative position in the parlor of power in the forthcoming elections. The mentality of deserting the parent political parties by the elected representatives have not only brought the standard of present politics down to the lowest ebb but they have lost their faith and credibility among the voters and the parties they desert. Such type of Legislator and parliamentarians are a slur and a blot on the democratic set up of any country. Such type of opportunist politicians are looked down upon by the people because their sole aim is to fight for the loaves and fishes of offices and not the welfare of the masses.
Owing to their opportunistic attitude their loyalties are showcased in the political markets where any highest bidder can purchases. It is matter of great shame that the political parties, in order to check the horse trading, shift their MLAs to the different states of the country, like the political prisoners, by the chartered flights and the luxary buses and quarantined them in the five and seven star hotels.
Even an ordinary citizen with an iota of intellect is compelled to think how these legislators having taken the oath of the constitution brought their position and prestige too low to be called as the sincere and honest law makers.
(The writer is a social activist from Basohli).
