By Karan Anand
In 1950, when our Constitution decided to adopt the Universal Adult Franchise, it came as a shock to many. The country was still very poor; and after 200 years of British imperialism and subjugation, not many people understood the importance of their vote. Ramachandra Guha in his book India After Gandhi called it ?The Biggest Gamble In History?.?The upshot of adopting Universal Suffrage so soon was that the underdeveloped institutions failed to deliver what the citizens voted for. The failure of these government institutions paved the way for criminals to enter politics and act as Robin Hoods.
How criminals entered politics
Milan Vaishnav in his book?When Crime Pays talks about how till the 1980?s these criminals used to act as the muscle power behind the politicians and in exchange received lucrative state concessions such as mining rights. Vaishnav says, ?Three trends ? political fragmentation, deepening competition and continued Congress decline ??converged in the late 1980s to break open the political system in an unprecedented manner?. What he means is that with the emergence of a multi-party system, Congress started to fade away as a political force and bribing its local representatives became less of a sure thing for local crooks. Hence, these criminals had to take the giant leap and themselves become full-time politicians.
What was astounding was the ease with which these criminals were allowed into their folds by the political parties. But, a question arises: What do the political parties gain by recruiting these criminals even though their image can be tarnished? This is where the role of a multi-party system comes in. The elections have become competitive and the electorate size has increased, thus making elections a costly affair. Voters need to be wooed with goodies and the rich criminals bring in the required cash. They are tolerated because they fill the party coffers.
Why do the voters vote for them?
Another important question is why don?t the voters, who demand democratic accountability, express their dissatisfaction by rejecting these malefactors. Again,?Vaishnav writes, ?Where the rule of law is weakly enforced and social divisions are rampant, a candidate?s criminal reputation could be perceived as an asset?. They employ their muscle power and money and get the job done for the people. Sometimes they reap benefits from the existing social injustices and portray themselves as a ?Messiah? for a particular community, fighting for their rights. Hence, they gain their confidence, and subsequently their vote.
In 2003, the SC passed an order which made it compulsory for all candidates to submit and publicly disclose all their current and past criminal records. Since then, the number of MP?s with criminal records has increased. In 2004, 24% Lok Sabha MP?s had criminal records, in 2009, the number increased to 30% and in 2014, the number increased further moved to 34%. Since 2004, the chance of a candidate with no criminal record to win an election is 6% whereas the chance of a candidate with a criminal record is thrice as much with 18%. This shows that voters vote for them despite their criminal records.
The case of Raja Bhaiya and YSR
Raghuraj Pratap Singh or Raja Bhaiya is a 6 time MP from Kunda in UP. Raja Bhaiya faces more than 50 criminal cases including murder and rape and still has managed to win more than 65% of the votes each time he has contested elections.?A local villager said, ?He enjoys immense support because he gets the job done for people. We do not care about his criminal activities as long as he helps us.?
Another significant name is that of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy or YSR, and his son Jagan Mohan Reddy. YSR?s father, Raja Reddy was a strongman known for taking matters into his own hands. He has been accused of mass murder when he burned some robbers alive. YSR followed his father?s path of strong arming people and entered politics. He eventually became the CM of Andhra.
A call for change?
The admittance of such malefactors into our Parliament and State Assemblies is nothing less than a mockery of our constitutional ethos. Subsequent orders from the highest court of justice have failed to curb this menacing trend. Pressure must be built upon the government by social activists and media houses to amend the existing laws and introduce rigid criteria for the entrants who wish to partake in any election. Also, if the suggestion of the Election Commission to introduce state funding is given a serious thought, the sacs of such rich goons will not be able to lure the political parties and the electorates.
It is disheartening to note that even after knowing their reality, we the voters decide to vote for them. Thus, no one is to be blamed for their rise, but us. Now, we can either keep treating them like heroes or we completely reject them and shun them out of our political system.
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