I was sitting in front of the TV when the news came that the Supreme Court struck as ultra vires a provision of the Representation of Peoples Act which protects convicted legislators from disqualification till their appeal is heard.
The Congress, the BJP and all the other parties hailed the judgment as the TV anchor droned on that they all were for strengthening and purifying the electoral process and for electoral reform. As I yawned I suddenly realised that I had to be present at an all-party meeting to discuss the Supreme Court’s directive.
I arrived just in time. It was also the first time that I had seen all the parties mixing together with such bonhomie. They all knew that they agreed on certain “principles” and would stand by each other. One thousand four hundred and forty eight legislators had criminal cases pending against them.
The first topic to be taken up was rape. What about those legislators convicted of rape? Many of those convicted rose to speak out but only one was given the chance. Pride was written on his face and not shame. “Rape,” he said with conviction “was not a crime.” All 641 legislators convicted of rape, kidnap and murder rapped their desks in thunderous applause. “Why should women wear fashionable clothes, flaunt their figures and flash sweet smiles if they were not willing to be raped?” he asked. The legislators smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. “As legislators duly elected by the people, we will pass a law that rape is not a crime at all,” he said and sat down in smug satisfaction.
One legislator got up and said, “We will pass this proposition unanimously.”
The next topic was disproportionate assets.The legislators accused of rape looked at those accused of disproportionate assets though they too had assets but were not yet found out.
As one legislator got up there was a round of clapping. The legislator was obviously a VVIP. “All of us know,” the VVIP said, “that elections cannot be run without huge sums of money both for advertising and for freebies. All parties do it,” he said and every one present agreed. “I think my honourable friend here announced publicly that he had spent ` 75 lakh on elections. What is ` 75 lakh? It’s chicken feed. We all know that we have to spend crores and we have to generate this money somehow. We do have assets, maybe disproportionate, but that’s nothing compared to what we spend on elections. Agreed?” Every single legislator agreed. They also agreed to pass a law that disproportionate assets would apply only to the aam aadmi.
“Bleak facts,” said a voice. It was the TV anchor. 1,444 MLAs and MPs have criminal cases against them, the voice droned on. 641 legislators are accused of rape, murder and kidnap.
I was awake, but not fully. The meeting I went to — was that a dream or reality? If it were a dream, as it certainly was, it was more of a reality and I was more awake then than now.