It is indubitable that there is a lot of muck in the political arena; it reeks of corruption and shenanigans
Hemant Soren has won the trust vote in the Assembly, but there is still a big question mark over his survival as Jharkhand Chief Minister. The political crisis began after the Election Commission reportedly held him guilty in an illegal mining case and recommended his disqualification. The story began in February this year when senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das accused Soren of misuse of office by allocating a stone quarrying lease on government land to himself. This allegedly happened in 2021 when he held the mining portfolio. In its complaint to Governor Bais on February 11, the BJP said that this decision of Soren’s violated Section 9(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Governor, as per the law, referred the complaint to the Election Commission for its opinion on March 28. The poll panel communicated with the Governor on August 25 and handed over its decision in a sealed envelope. State BJP leaders claim that the EC has recommended Soren's disqualification as member of the state Assembly. The Governor, however, is yet to announce his decision. If he disqualifies Soren, the latter could still remain the Chief Minister for up to six months without being an MLA. In that period, he could also get re-elected to continue further. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating other corruption cases, including the MGNREGA money laundering case. It arrested Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal in May and allegedly found irregularities in the accounts of the scheme during her tenure.
Unsurprisingly, anti-BJP parties are accusing the saffron party of carrying out the so-called Operation Lotus—that is, the campaign to remove anti-BJP governments in states. The BJP would deny such an operation but it is indubitable that there is a lot of muck in the political arena; it reeks of corruption and shenanigans. The stench, however, doesn’t remain confined to the arena; it pervades all spheres of life. This has a number of unpleasant consequences. First, corruption has been politicised: since agencies and police are routinely seen as acting at the behest of their political masters, at the Centre and in state governments, the allegations of venality have lost the authenticity which was perceptible till a few years ago. Now, it is difficult to tell politically motivated charges against a politician from the genuine ones. Secondly, the credibility of the officers fighting corruption has come under a cloud, for they are often accused of blindly following the orders of politicians. Thirdly, the credibility of the Constitutional offices like those of governor and now even the Election Commission has begun to erode. Even the Congress abused the office of governor; the BJP has continued the tradition. And last, but not the least, people’s faith in the political system is eroding. This doesn’t augur well for the world’s largest democracy; in the long, even medium term ubiquitous cynicism could seriously undermine our system.