There is nothing unusual about changing sides just before the elections especially when denied a ‘ticket to contest’. Anti-defection law doesn’t threaten such turncoats but surely it’s legitimate to ask: isn’t the to-and-fro movement making a mockery of the multi-party democracy we are supposed to have? Political parties by definition are distinguished one from the other according to ideology and issues they support. There are parties that claim to be driven solely by Marxist beliefs and others who are propelled by ultra-nationalistic zeal founded on their interpretation of Hindutva. Religious minorities are not to be left behind and have no inhibition about prefixing or including words in their name that leave no-one in doubt about their ideology.
Individual leaders too are identified with a particular party. It is unimaginable to think of the Congress without Sonia or Rahul Gandhi, BSP without Mayawati or SP without Akhilesh Yadav, TMC without Mamata Banerjee or AIADMK or DMK without their respective ruling clan members.
The words ‘Supremo’ and ‘High Command’ are bandied so loosely that they have ceased to carry any meaning. Mulayam Singh, once the undisputed ‘Netaji’ in his camp, is now referred to as the Patriarch, more like the Lion in Winter. Other parties north and south of the Vindhyas too seem to be suffering due to withering authority of Patriarchs or their departure from the stage.
Sharad Pawar has registered embarrassing volte faces about contesting the Lok Sabha elections and Tom Vadakkan’s joining the BJP has exposed the tattered High Command. RaGa may dismiss the defection with a shrug and insist that Tom wasn’t a big leader but the weather vane is indicating which way the wind is blowing. Not long ago, it was Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, expelled from BJD, who had joined the BJP and was immediately catapulted to the position of the party’s vice-president and national spokesperson. The movement is not one way. Former Uttarakhand CM Maj Gen BC Khanduri’s son has joined Congress and there are still early days.
Alka Lamba of AAP has not been too subtle in letting all of us know that she would be glad to rejoin the Congress should someone send her a proposal. What we are witnessing are marriages of convenience and outrageous flirtations. Dare one add some scandalous one-night stands as well.
The other development that is disgusting for anyone committed to democracy is the convention (call it customary practice if you like) to give walkovers to leading family members of rival political parties. SP-BSP declared that they would not put up a candidate against Sonia and Rahul so as not to ‘weaken the fight’ against BJP. Not to be outdone in courtesies, the Congress has announced it would not field anyone in the seven seats that are represented by the Mulayam line of the Yadav clan. Ajit Singh and his son Dushyant can also feel relieved of the pressures of a multi-cornered contest. From Maha Gathbandhans, it’s now to tactical seat adjustments and accommodation of vested interests among ruling families in different fiefdoms.
There is increasing unrest all the way down the chain of command. Neither charisma nor commitment seems to guarantee abiding loyalty. The voters can’t be blamed for the confusion. Every party is choosing ‘winning’ candidates hoping that the ‘rebels’ will return to the fold once it emerges victorious.
The saddest part of all this is that the bread and butter issues are totally forgotten in pathological promiscuity. No one has the time to review report cards of MPs, MLAs, leaders and parties, or to compare manifestoes. One must thank that the Election Commission has ordered that the manifestoes must be released at least three full days before the last date of filing the nominations.
No one seems to be afraid of the Model Code of Conduct. By now all the miscreants know that it has no legal binding and they can’t be penalised for its breach. Past experience shows that a candidate and his/her supporters can get away with foulest hate speech that appeals to communal sentiments or caste prejudice and more. True, all these are offences punishable under various sections of IPC but rarely are these invoked.
Less than a fortnight back imperilled national security had apparently united the whole country. For a moment fractures and faultiness had ceased to matter. It hasn’t taken long for the illusion to disappear. What is creating the buzz is engagements and break-ups. Forget the matrimonial metaphor. It’s all about the self-indulgent misconduct of consenting adults who continue to behave like spoilt brats or juvenile delinquents, who even if serial offenders can’t be convicted. pushpeshpant@gmail.com