While there is much to cheer about the 69th Independence Day, Indians are troubled by the fractured nature of the polity, the confrontational nature of politics and the virtual dysfunctionality of democratic bodies
The 69th Independence Day made our hearts swell with pride when we thought of the significant achievements India has made on several fronts including all round economic growth, industrialisation, food production, poverty alleviation, literacy and education, and the media and the information technology boom. However, while there is much to cheer about, Indians are deeply troubled by the fractured nature of the polity, the confrontational nature of our politics and the virtual dysfunctionality of our various democratic bodies.
This is indeed sad and ironic because we take pride in being the biggest and most vibrant democracy in the world with 814 million electors and the capacity to hold relatively free and fair elections. But, contrast this with what happens once an election is over. The latest example is the complete washout of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, that ‘concluded’ last week without transacting any worthwhile business.
Starting with the apex legislature, most of our democratic bodies are seriously impaired and the downslide has been on over the last 25 years. The deterioration can be seen on various counts. The number of sittings per year of the two Houses of Parliament and the State Assemblies have crashed; in the 1950s and 1960s, our MPs and MlAs saw themselves as servants of the people.
Now, they perceive themselves as the masters; in the early years after independence, our MPs and MlAs did not want any salaries or perks. They saw their work as public service. Present day MPs and MlAs are constantly asking for more and in some States, their demands are insatiable; again, in the days gone by, rich politicians felt embarrassed to display their wealth. Today, dozens of politicians are worth hundreds of crores and they openly flaunt it; finally, in the past, there would be occasional scandals and the guilty would be punished. Now, there is a scandal a day and no one gets punished!
let us start with sittings of our democratic bodies. For example, in the initial decades after independence, Parliament and the State Assemblies used to meet for 120 to 140 days in a year. In recent years, the two Houses of Parliament meet for about 70 days, whereas the situation is indeed deplorable in the States. Most State Assemblies meet for just 25 to 30 days! Even here, since political fights break out every day and our representatives have no forum to represent us. Then, who is to represent us and whereIJ
Talking of salaries, when the first MPs’ salaries Bill was debated in the lok Sabha in the 1950s, several MPs opposed it and some even said that they would not draw the salary (Rs300 per month) even if the House were to pass the Bill. Today, an MP gets close to one lakh rupees as salary and constituency allowance plus an addition sum for secretarial assistance. But more than the salary, MPs and legislators in the States get a basket of unusual perks that their counterparts elsewhere are not entitled to and yet keep asking for more. Sometimes they make rather strange demands.
For example, two years ago, 100 MPs wrote to the Speaker of the lok Sabha and demanded that they be permitted to have red beacons atop their cars in Delhi. When the media asked some of the MPs why they wanted lal battis, some of them said it would deter Delhi police from issuing them challans when they violate traffic rules!
This is where we differ from Western democracies. Although MPs in wealthy nations like Britain, America and Germany are themselves fairly well-to-do, they do not flaunt their wealth or status. Many British and German MPs go on bicycles to Parliament. They also get a small allowance per mile if they bicycle to work. They have no fear of personal security. Nor do they worry about what people will say if they travel on a bicycle. Many MPs and Ministers in Britain, Germany, Sweden and Norway use the local metro or bus to go to office. In some of these countries, even the Prime Ministers use the metro to get to work. In India, MPs come to Parliament in big and expensive cars because they believe that they cannot command the respect of their electors if they do not flaunt their wealth.
The moral decline is also too perceptible for anyone to gloss over. In the 1950s, the Mudgal case was the only prominent one of corruption involving an MP (there were some involving Ministers though). HG Mudgal was accused of taking a fee from the Bombay Bullion Merchants Association to espouse their cause in Parliament. He had taken an advance of Rs2,700 and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru moved a resolution to expel him from Parliament.
Ten years ago, a major scandal rocked Parliament. A sting operation in December 2005, caught 11 MPs who were ready to table questions for a price. One MP demanded a ‘fee’ of Rs30,000 while another put his price up and collected Rs1,10,000 to do the job. The people were aghast to see the tapes aired by a news channel. All of them were expelled after the parliamentary investigations.
Soon thereafter, another set of four MPs was trapped in another sting operation and reprimanded by Parliament for improper conduct while assigning projects under the Member of Parliament local Area Development Scheme.
But, what really takes the cake is the arrest of an MP by the Delhi police in a human trafficking racket some years ago. This MP, who hailed from Gujarat, showed a woman from Punjab as his wife, secured a passport for her on this false pretext and for a fee, flew to Canada with her and returned alone. The woman of course became an illegal immigrant in that country!
This case tells us a lot about our political system, the degeneration of our institutions and the gross misuse of privileges by a section of our representatives. The reluctance or incapacity of political parties and parliamentary institutions to enforce norms has hurt the image of democratic institutions.
Parliament will find it difficult to redeem itself in the eyes of the people if it fails to wield the stick. The list of complaints against MPs is a long one. They are accused of sub-letting their official quarters, ‘selling’ domestic gas connection coupons and even encouraging relatives and friends to travel ticket-less in first class AC coaches on our trains. All this must end. Only then will August 15 celebrations be really meaningful.