Poor thoroughbred racehorses, ponies are used for joy riding or even mules are burdened with heavy packs on their back! Little do they know that when horse-trading is mentioned, it is not they but the elected representatives of the people that are bought and sold.
There was a time when these gentlemen and ladies were referred to as Aaya Ram and Gaya Ram in Indian politics because none could tell which way they were headed when. A glimmer of hope appeared with the enactment of the anti-defection law but that has since disappeared as our lawmakers have found dozens of ingenious ways to get around its supposedly strict provisions. The loopholes make it leak like a sieve. But we digress.
What we have witnessed in the past weeks is the most undignified spectacle of Sachin Pilot’s revolt in Rajasthan and the machinations allegedly of some in the BJP-NDA combine ruling at the Centre to topple the Gehlot government. Not long back, the same melodrama was enacted in Madhya Pradesh when Jyotiraditya Scindia was enticed to desert what he perceived as a sinking ship.
Now, it shouldn’t concern anyone who is not a member of the Congress party how it treats its forever young and ambitious Young Turks or dementia-debilitated Old War Horses but what certainly is a matter fit for public debate is how its failure to resolve internal dissidence is encouraging ‘horse trading’. To mix metaphors and resort to cliches, the BJP can only fish in troubled waters. Why blame others for a nightmare of one’s own making?
Every man, it has been aptly said, has a price. Some traders are experienced enough to make an offer that can’t be refused. But horse trading isn’t about persuasive bargains. One can also steal stallions stealthily or by threatening use of force.
Coercion can also manifest itself in many subtle forms. Many distinguished persons -- men and women -- have skeletons locked in cupboards that can cause extreme distress if they tumble out. From financial misdemeanours and punishable frauds to involvement in heinous crimes, they cause sleepless nights to all who have made smooth transition from crime to politics. A leader or a rebel is burdened alike by tainted supporters. This is where being in power in the State or at the Centre helps a good deal.
Deserters can be made to see reason by well-timed raids of Income Tax or other investigating agencies. Almost every time a defection is threatened, a ‘sting’ sensationally discloses on tape or video incriminating conversations between rebels and middlemen.
The real question is who are the principals who initiate deal-making or turn a blind eye towards outrageous stealing of mice and men? How long can Sonia G and RaGa feign innocence and keep insisting that their hands and conscience are clean? The same applies to the PM, HM and all the CMs who may gain or lose -- if nothing else but face -- by the shenanigans of their underlings.
There are other issues worth revisiting in the context of the ugly spectacle in Rajasthan. There was a preemptive legal strike when the Pilot camp filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court requesting it to stop unconstitutional partisan implementation of the anti-defection law. The biggest booming legal canons have been deployed by warring sides. A brief respite was granted to petitioners till a larger constitutional bench examined the contentions.
These skirmishes don’t augur well for our democracy. It is well settled in law that judiciary shouldn’t intervene in the domain of legislature -- in this case the decision of the Speaker. And, if any clarification is required it is the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution. What is the remedy if the law laid down by the apex court is repeatedly violated and the guilty get away unpunished? The defectors in case after case have brought the institution of the Speaker or Governor to disrepute.
To be fair, it must be added in the same breath that those who hold these high offices have not always acted impartially and honourably. They have been exposed as suffering from serious spinal disorders and in urgent need of knee replacement. The oath of office to them has mattered less than loyalty to the party and the leader who has placed them in such exalted position.
Saddest is the realisation that this jockeying for power that at best deserved to be a fleeting sideshow succeeded in distracting the nation from its fight for survival against coronavirus and the imminent threat at its borders. One could add to this list the sorry state of the economy. Media wasted headlines and Prime Time discussing the spat between ‘handsome English-speaking youngsters’ versus ‘rustic, inarticulate but experienced elders with feet firmly planted on ground’. The stupidity of juxtaposing these binaries is obvious. Equally inane is the endless debate on Dynasty and Entitlement. India needs to move on.
The writer can be reached at pushpeshpant@gmail.com.