The General Elections, slated to begin shortly, have begun to resemble a roadside circus, if not theatre of the absurd. Ignoring pressing problems facing the country like poverty, unemployment, inflation and climate change, politicians incessantly talk of issues long buried in history, and worse still, caste, creed and religion. Another disturbing trend is that despite periodic elections, the same individuals remain in power all the time, though representing different parties at different times.

For example, many Union and State ministers and even Chief Ministers of a number of States, including West Bengal and Assam, started their career as representatives of one party but now espouse the ideology of another one ~ which is sometimes diametrically opposite. There is also the time-tested washing machine formula, much in vogue now, where politicians in the cross-hairs of investigation agencies, join the ruling party and soon emerge whitewashed and blameless.

With investigating agencies in full flow, not surprisingly, this stratagem has netted a largish number of turncoats; according to headlines of a leading daily, since 2014, 25 opposition leaders joined the ruling party, 0f which 23 got reprieve. It is sad to see that persons who had a tradition of association with one party through generations, and had enjoyed concomitant benefits for long, felt no qualms in deserting ship and denouncing the ideology of their erstwhile party.

Advertisement

Presently, as many turncoats represent us in Parliament, a disconcerting question confronts us, viz. “Are most Indians disloyal and mercenary, who would not hesitate to renounce their beliefs and ideals, for the sake of pelf and power?” Thankfully, statistics disprove this hypothesis; in the outgoing Lok Sabha, 233 MPs (43 per cent) faced criminal charges, and 83 per cent of Lok Sabha MPs were crorepatis, while the overwhelming majority of us Indians are law-abiding citizens, with limited resources.

Also, Indians are known worldwide for being industrious people, but despite their handsome perks and privileges, our Parliamentarians sit for hardly 60 days in a year. State legislatures have a worse record, working for 30 to 40 days, on average. Notably, the British Parliament is in session for more than 120 days annually, and the US Congress clocks more than 100 days each year. Slowly, political parties have ended up........

© The Statesman