Cash-for-votes sting shows money power abuse
As yet another sordid chapter of cash-for-votes unravels — this time with regard to the election of a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka — there is a sense of anger and resentment among the public. But mostly the electorate is disappointed and disillusioned with its leaders and with the system at large. That politicians are often corrupt, that nepotism and bribery have penetrated deep within the Indian body politic, and that money and muscle power often drive governance processes and determine policy positions is no secret. Yet, despite all these negative factors which are obvious, and painfully so, at lower administrative levels, the citizens have kept their faith in the upper echelons of Government: Parliament is still revered as a sacred space, as the temple that houses the democratic spirit that binds this country together, even though there have been instances of inappropriate behaviour in recent years, in lok Sabha particularly, that has done damage. Nevertheless, Rajya Sabha continues to enjoy an exalted status — its members, shielded from the electoral dynamics that define lok Sabha, are expected to be, in the words of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a “bulwark against the transient impulses of the moment”. Moreover, the Rayja Sabha also serves as the Council of States and also has an important role in the country's federal structure.
In recent decades, however, there have been a growing suspicion that some political parties are doling out Rajya Sabha seats to curry favour with the rich looking to become powerful. The Union Ministry of law and Justice acknowledged this problem in 2005 when in a affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, it said: “Recent experience shows that when political parties put up candidates for elections to the Rajya Sabha from the States, it has often happened that members of that political party vote for candidates other than the party representative leading to widespread speculation regarding the influence of money power and muscle power in Rajya Sabha elections.” This was after the apex court had stayed Rajya Sabha elections to 65 seats. In 2000, Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill had publicly expressed concern over the use of money power to influence Rayja Sabha elections, and asked the Union Ministry of Finance to take effective steps to contain the menace particularly in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, that year also the Karnataka election was hotly contested as the Janata Dal (Secular) had given its support to liquor baron Vijay Mallya while its then ally, the BJP, had fielded former Union Minister Rajashekhara Murthy. This year, four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka are up for grabs — of these three are considered to be secure in favour of Nirmala Sitharaman from the BJP and Oscar Fernades and Jairam Ramesh from the Congress. It is for the fourth seat that the Congress's KC Ramamoorthy, a former IPS officer, and the JD(S)'s BM Farooq, a businessman, are at loggerheads. Neither party has the numbers for a clean victory; hence, both are seeking to win over legislators who are independents or from smaller parties. It is in this context that the sting operations conducted by two television news channels have played out, although we must wait for further investigations to reveal the full picture.