The Political Theatre

My views on yesterday's drama.

The victory of the UPA comes as a relief to many like me. I call it the ultimate lesson for Prakash Karat and he should realize that his hard-line approach and attempts to bull doze the gentleman leading the country have been rejected. But people like him never learn. Karat is adamant and stubborn and he seems to be unfazed by the verdict of the Lok Sabha. Somnath Chatterjee’s pragmatic and bold decision should put Karat in place and I hope the CPI-M does not make the mistake of taking action against one of its senior most parliamentarians to restore their general secretary’s ego. Mr. Chatterjee’s decision is befitting of a senior parliamentarian like him and MP’s like Mohammed Salim have a lot to learn from him. The speaker has not only set a precedent for the future but he has shown enormous skill and personality in the manner that he has conducted the Lok Sabha. He has proved that as a speaker he is impartial and will go even against the diktats of egoist like Karat who run his party and put his political career at stake.

According to Mr. Advani this is just a numerical victory for the government. Well if it was that insignificant then I don’t understand why his party was making elaborate plans to airlift critically injured members. After all it was just a question of a numerical victory. Mr. Advani also said if his government came to power he would re-negotiate the nuclear deal. As the leader of the opposition he could have simply pointed out to the Prime Minister what was wrong. But as we all know the BJP saw an opportunity to bring the government down and tried to exploit this chance. Mr. Advani simply cannot wait till the next election. He knows it might be too late for him and his party. The BJP has proved its double standards. They know it’s a historic agreement and they wanted a moment of glory for themselves. They could not see the quiet and demure Dr. Manmohan Singh walk way with the credit of ushering in a new era in India’s nuclear policy.

Meanwhile our MP’s never stop surprising us. If one thought that the Cash for Query Scam was the worst our parliament would see then one was wrong. The honorable members of Parliament went a step further yesterday by bringing a bag full of currency notes into the house after accusing the government of trying to buy votes. Even if their claim is accurate there was no need to bring currency notes into the house and diminish its sanctity. Anyways I am sure next time around they will prove to us again that they can do worse.

With so many things happening there were some moments to admire also. Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee who is one of the senior most members of the Lok Sabha was ailing. But even then when he had to leave on account of his illness he actually sought the permission of the speaker before doing so. This is something that his party members have not imbibed as they do not even listen when the speaker is talking. Another great sight was the impact the speeches made by our young MP’s like Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah. In Indian Politics where age is often the most important qualification and politicians do not retire till they die this was a most welcome situation. It spells a lot of hope for the country.

Now the vote is over. I hope political parties have learnt their lesson and people like Prakash Karat and Lal Krishna Advani do realize that politics is not always about fooling the people. Sometimes it can backfire on you. As for our Parliament and is procedures , I only wish we had a few more Somnath Chatterjees and Atal Behari Vajpayees just to ensure that basic decorum is maintained in Parliament. The nation is watching.

Parliamentary Troubles

My views on last week's political drama.

A comment on democracy in India throws up so many issues. Infact there have been many comments on the nature of our democracy and the way our political system functions. But the last week has left everyone stunned. Amid allegations of horse trading among members of parliament political strategists have tried every trick in the bag to achieve their goals in the 22nd July trust vote. While alliances have shifted, new ones have been drawn up to ensure the government survives. Politicians like Mayawati have openly declared that she has a single point agenda i.e. to topple the government. Defections have occurred leading to party strategists of both alliances, the INC and the BJP conducting meetings and elaborate dinners to ensure every vote is in their pocket. The situation is such that MP’s are even being airlifted from hospitals to allow them to vote. Elusive MP’s who never attend Parliament like Dharmendra and Govinda are also turning up for the 22nd July vote.

In this melee we are left wondering as to what personalities like Dr Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee must be thinking. While the former has hardly spoken to the media the speaker has refused to be a party to Mission Topple UPA which has been envisaged and executed by the CPI-M boss, Prakash Karat. For Comrade Karat that is certainly an embarrassment as all along he has been advocating that the Nuclear Deal is against national interest and his attempt to prevent this deal from happening has been snubbed by the senior most parliamentarian from his party. I admire Somnath Chatterjee for his decision. He has set a precedent for speakers in the future to follow. Chatterjee has been a parliamentarian for years and definitely understands what is expected of the speaker.

Manmohan Singh on the other hand has been a disappointment. Even when his government is at stake he has not come out and explained what the deal is all about. The people of this country which includes common citizens like me are still willing to hear from you Mr. Prime Minister. We want to know more about the deal so I would be great to hear you and not Mr. Pranab Mukherjee or the National Security Advisor. After all it’s your government at stake.

Also the UPA has had to accommodate tainted MP’s like Shibu Soren. Not that it comes as a surprise given that there are many others already in parliament. What is surprising however that is even as the UPA claims it has the numbers the back channels are working round the clock that they can succeed in saving their faces. While the congress is bent on proving that they have the numbers which they assume to be support for the nuclear deal the BJP and Mayawati are going all guns going to bring the government down. Did anyone hear the left proudly proclaim that they would do everything possible to prevent the BJP from coming to power? Well all that seems to be history.

Every politician has been talking about betrayal of trust. The biggest truth is that they have betrayed the trust of the people by indulging in dirty games that do not befit the ideals with which the parliament was set up by Dr. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. I wonder what Dr.Ambedkar would have to say to Mayawati who has said that it is her single point agenda to dislodge Dr. Singh from his seat. The champion of rights for the dalits would be ashamed of the leader who claims to be following his ideals and values. In the efforts to ensure that they achieve what they have set out to all parliamentary ethics and values have been thrown out of the window and we as common citizens are witnessing the ugly side of parliamentary politics. Narrow mindsets combined with the apathetic attitudes of unscrupulous politicians has turned our parliament into market where voting is not issue based but dependent on money and personal gains. No one cares about the institution they are a part of. An institution that is supposed to build the nation based on the example set by leaders like Ambedkar and Nehru. We are proud of being the world’s largest democracy but our politicians have let us down. We have let ourselves down by electing such people.