You either need money power, muscle power or political influence to be a successful politician. Why are we suffering from this Silent Spectator Syndrome?
In my attempt to avoid the meaningless shouting matches on popular news channels, I switched to a channel that was talking about the current Budget Session of Parliament. Hoping to find something reassuring and meaningful, I decided to shut the voice of political pessimism in my head and stay.
Before the proceedings of day 19 began, one TDP M.P was protesting outside dressed as a tantrik, a few others were sitting on the road with placards, three Congress M.Ps climbed the roof of the Parliament to protest on a different issue and rest of the opposition were warming up to disrupt the proceedings of the Parliament. Contrary to my hope, the day ended up being the 19th day of disruption. The resilience and proficiency that our Parliamentarians show in creating a ruckus and not letting anyone speak is commendable.
After witnessing this spectacle, year after year, you begin to wonder: Why are these people fighting and protesting instead of debating on policies? How do these people even come to power? Because, we, the citizens of India ‘democratically’ elect these so-called leaders. Parliament is at the epicentre of our democracy and MPs are supposed to be the guardians of our Constitution. Yet, even after 70 years of independence, we have not been able to elect leaders who can behave in a civilised manner and focus on what they have been elected to do.
Prosperity has eluded most Indians except our legislators. They recently received a 100 percent hike in salary in Budget 2018. And, not to forget their daily allowance for presence in Parliament or its committees, free housing, furnishing, electricity, water, telephones and healthcare? According to ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms), around 85 percent of our Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis and the assets of 165 MPs re-elected to the 16th Lok Sabha have on an average risen by a whopping 137 percent between 2009 and 2014.
The empty chairs in the parliament remind me of my college days where some students would sign the attendance register and bunk the lectures or just attend to disturb the teacher and would get reprimanded every time. Moreover, 34% of MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges filed against them, more than a fifth for very serious crimes ranging from theft to intimidation and worse. This reminds me of these lines by Rahat Indori:
Chor uchakkon ki karo kadr ke maalum nahi,
Kaun kab kaunsi sarkar me aa jayega…..
(Respect the thieves and thugs, you never know,
Who, when will be elected in which government….)
If the sorry state of our parliamentary functioning is clearly visible to us, then why do we still elect the same kind of people? Do we lack genuine, honest people who are capable of creating an environment of mature debate instead of the current bunch who have expertise in shouting, name-calling, violence, disruption in the parliament? Isn’t it time we ask ourselves what the root cause of this problem is?
I think the answer lies in the fact that there are powerful entry barriers in our political system. You either need money power, muscle power or political influence to be a successful politician. It is a top-down system where the elected legislators are puppets in the hands of big political bosses and leaders.
In conclusion, if India has to progress, we need vibrant and smart leaders who are true representatives of people. It can only be possible if we disrupt the current entry system in politics and create a platform where we choose our candidates at all levels making the system truly accountable. Many people don’t vote because they don’t see any point in voting for the best out of the worst candidates.
I am hopeful that soon people will stop tolerating this mockery of our democracy in the Parliament and strive for change to elect people who will work towards bringing prosperity into our lives. To end on an optimistic note, I would like to quote Sahir Ludhianvi:
In kaali sadiyon ke sar sey jab raat ka aanchal dhalkega
Jab dukh ke badal pighalengey jab sukh ka saagar jhalkega
Jab ambar jhoom ke nachega jab dharati naghame gayegi
Woh subah kabhi to aayegi…
(When the veil slips from the head of these dark centuries,
When the clouds of despair will disperse and oceans of happiness overflow,
When the sky dances and the earth sings, songs of joy
That morning will surely come one day)
