Crime and Politics

George Bernard Shaw has famously said that politics is the last resort of scoundrels. Modern day India, most unfortunately, appears to be proving this adage to be correct. We are faced with the stupendous task of uplifting our people morally and materially. But our privileged classes are immersed in abject materialism without any thought of moral principles. Eat, drink and be merry seems to be the way of life of these sections. It is natural on their part as they do not believe in any higher objective of life and think that “tomorrow thou will die”. If death is the last sleep, and thereafter there is no life, if we are our own masters and there is no Master of the Day of Judgement, then it naturally follows that people will try their best to make most of this material life and would go to any length to get power and pelf.
Politics and crime have been often seen hand in hand in the course of history. But this phenomenon has become most prominently visible during the recent times when religion has been dismissed from active life and thrown out of windows.
In India, after independence we had at the helm of affairs stalwarts like Nehru, Azad and Shastri. They put people before self. But gradually unprincipled elements made their entry into political field which no longer required sacrifices as was the case during the period of independence struggle. Politics became an easy passport to prosperity. Unscrupulous people and self-seekers entered this pious profession which holds highest importance for safeguarding the interests of society. They did not hesitate to employ questionable means to gain power. They even sought the help of musclemen from the underworld.
Then came the second stage of degeneration when the musclemen themselves entered the political field. Soon they came to hold such important positions in the scheme of things that they decided to remain there for ever. Now, after more degeneration the situation has gone out of control. Social action groups have pointed out that in some state legislatures people with criminal record occupy 30 to 40 per cent space. Even the highest seat of democracy, our Parliament also reverberates with their shady deals.
Our lawmakers should have been the role models for citizens and as Shakespeare has said, “Even Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion.” Unfortunately these highly placed honourable men themselves are within the circle of suspicion. Following their example the common Indian thinks that nothing can move here without resorting to unethical means, and he refers to the example set by these bigwigs. In this way not only politics but every field of social life has become tainted.
No doubt India is on the fast track of economic progress. It can certainly achieve this distinction given its human and material resources. But we should not forget this lesson of history that nations do not sustain and move forward only by material gains. Some moral principles are fundamentally important. These immoral people of questionable credentials who do not have any qualms in resorting to dishonest means, who control the reigns of powers are the greatest danger to our strength as a people and our future including economic future.
The need of the hour is a fresh reorientation of life, a new vision of objectives, a reappraisal of priorities and a rediscovery of our original moral roots. Unless we turn to God, submit and surrender to His Will, restructure our priorities and stress moral dimensions, we cannot expect a change in the prevailing atmosphere of criminalisation of politics. The sooner the nexus between politics and crime is broken the better for the health of the nation. Otherwise we may miserably fail to stem the rot. Let the future historian not comment that once upon a time India fell so low that crime and politics became synonymous. May God save the motherland from that frightening scenario.