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| Will LC become a House for rich who can afford to buy MLAs? | | | Bharat Bhushan
JAMMU, Apr 12: When legislative council goes to polls here Wednesday morning, the question -- Will LC become a House for the rich who can afford to buy MLAs? -- was sure to haunt the political parties.
Following serious apprehensions of horse-trading, NC and Congress MLAs met at chief minister Omar Abdullah's residence here tonight and pledged to vote for the coalition candidates.
The meeting was attended by Omar, PCC president Saifudin Soz and allies.
In view of the inputs that some MLAs of one Congress group could defect, or cast their votes in a manner that these were declared invalid, party high-command in New Delhi tonight issued a whip which was signed by GA Mir on AICC directive.
"There ought to be stringent laws for those who bribe MLAs and those who receive cash," a senior NC leader said.
He said there was no use of anti-defection law if it could not stop members from voting in favour of the candidates of other political parties.
Secret-ballot system needed to be replaced by open-ballot system, the NC leader felt, saying in the secret-ballot system, party bosses were at liberty to "sell" en-block votes of party MLAs.
He said once the ballot system was made open, MLAs would not defect as it could lead to their disqualification. It would also lead to the stopping of horse-trading in future, he added.
Leaders of other political parties said bribing MLAs and accepting a bribe for vote should be made crimes and the offenders booked.
They said that more than anything else, elections, which were the essence of democracy, would become redundant if these were not founded on the diginity of voters.
And, if elections lost their flavour, democracy would be good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the boots of criminals and money-power, they added.
They said if some members defected for money during LC polls on Wednesday, the whole process would lose its dignity and become worthless.
Money factor has attained prominence in politics. The politicians, who did not have enough money to fulfil their daily needs, have grown very rich in the past one decade. It is a story of growing from rags to riches.
Influenced by the changed lifestyles of these leaders, several bad-charactered persons too had entered politics. Misusing their party posts, they have taken contracts worth crores from chief engineers and executive engineers. There has been a mashroom growth of this breed of leaders in the state during the past few years.
And, most surprisingly, they have the backing of senior party leaders.
These are the "leaders" who make a mockery of the election process when they become senior in their respective parties.
This is precisely what is happening. Because of these people, elections are fast losing their flavour. Honest leaders won't be able to fight with the criminal-and money-power.
It is the right time that the legislative council should be altogether abolished, or else reformative measures be taken to prevent it from becoming a club of the rich or a dumping ground for the leaders rejected by the masses. |
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