According to Wikipedia the term “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram” is an expression used in the context of Indian politics that implies floor-crossing, turn-coating, switching parties and political horse trading in the legislature by the elected politicians and political parties. The term gained notoriety when Gaya Lal – a Congress MLA from Haryana supposedly changed party affiliation three times in one day, and it became the subject of various cartoons and jokes. It was only in 1985 when the Anti-defection Law was passed that this menace was reined to some extent. However, this political phenomenon can always rear its ugly head to the chagrin of governments especially when the government holds on to power by a wafer-thin majority and is made of opportunistic and unprincipled lawmakers.
NO COMPLICATIONS IN GOA
Goa has a 40-member legislative assembly. Last week 10 MLAs from the Congress switched sides to the BJP and within two days three were made ministers. Since the then MLAs made two-thirds of the 15-member Congress legislative party, they escaped the proverbial sword of Damocles that keeps hanging under the Anti-defection Law and will enjoy the fruits of being in government. One of the turncoats has now become the Deputy Chief Minister of the state and shall run a government he once bitterly opposed.
Obviously, such change of heart entails a quid pro quo which typically translates into the government (that was formed or strengthened by “floor-crossing”) going “slow’’ on alleged charges of corruption, etc. Goa CM Pramod Sawant is the only MLA in the BJP who has not been part of any other party. This “sides-switching” episode epitomises the fluid nature of party loyalties in Goa and shows the dominance of real politik over “value-based” politics. It also exposes those who possess a “holier than thou” attitude and claim to be “a party with a difference.”
MESSY MATH IN KARNATAKA
The Karnataka Vidhana Soudha (Assembly) has 224 seats and for a government to be formed it would need 113 seats (simple majority). The Congress + JD(S) + 2 independents had 118 seats. Breakup being – Congress had 78 MLAs + one Speaker = 79 seats, JD(S) had 37 + 1 BSP = 38 seats and 2 independents who had joined the coalition. So, 78+38+2 = 118. The BJP had 105 seats. Under the auspices of Operation Lotus 18 MLAs rebelled: 16 from the Congress and 2 independents. They submitted their resignations to the Speaker. If their resignations are accepted then they do not go to the Assembly for the vote of confidence. The size of the Vidhana Soudha then is reduced from 224 to 208. This will then reduce the requirement of forming a government to just 105 seats which the BJP has and in fact with the addition of 2 independents, the party with a difference will have 107 MLAs. These resignations reduce the Congress + JD(S) coalition to 100 seats which is very much short of the majority.
ENTER THE JUDICIARY
With the Congress Speaker Ramesh Kumar refusing to accept the resignations of the rebel MLAs for the moment, the drama moved to the Supreme Court of India (besieged by the rebel MLAs) which ruled (in the interim) that the Speaker of the Assembly is well within his rights to accept or reject the resignations and should be given reasonable time for that process.
However, much to the dismay of the Congress (which it realised later) the apex court also ruled that the rebel MLAs should attend the Assembly but shall not be bound by the party whip to vote in a particular manner. This set the cat among the pigeons as the BJP sensed victory, knowing they have the numbers and the coalition doesn’t. However, the Speaker till the time of writing had not permitted trust vote and the House was adjourned.
The Congress, meanwhile, justifiably feeling insecure after the Supreme Court ruling, submitted that any interpretation of the order of July 17 “which whittles down the power of a political party to issue a whip to its legislators would be in the teeth of the provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.”
RESIGNATION VS DISQUALIFICATION
The Congress – JD(S) combine was hoping to issue a party whip to all its 116 MLAs to vote for the confidence motion in favour of the government and the rebel MLAs too would have to do so or risk being disqualified under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (or the Anti-Defection Law).
This means they cannot be part of the new government without fighting fresh elections and this will only happen when the term of the present Assembly expires or is dissolved. If an MLA resigns then he / she can be inducted as a Minister provided he / she gets elected to either House of State Assembly within six months. Naturally, all MLAs in Karnataka dreaded disqualification and were under the illusion that their resignations would be accepted, the government would fall and they would then reap a windfall. “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” says the Scottish proverb that rings a bell all too often.
EXTERNALITIES OF A DEMOCRACY
This whole Karnataka drama had all the necessary ingredients of an Aaya Ram Gaya Ram “blockbuster” with the rebel MLAs being chartered away to Mumbai in a five-star hotel by an airline owned by a BJP member of Parliament. Then the Congress trouble shooter was not permitted to meet the rebel MLAs with the Mumbai Police being accused of highhandedness in the entire proceedings under instructions of BJP state government. Meanwhile, BJP lawmakers are staging a dharna in the Assembly by sleeping overnight on the floor of the house with bedding sheets et al.
While the hardcore BJP supporters oppose the induction of Congress legislators, seeing it as a threat to BJP’s ideological commitment and the BJP becoming another Congress, the liberal and secularists see it as a demise of the Congress and the last nail in the coffin of those who upheld the flag of tolerance and communal harmony. Some say that this is the price or collateral damage that one has to pay and suffer for freedom and democracy. Although democracy has (these) flaws and is not perfect, other systems like dictatorship, one-party rule and monarchy are the antithesis of freedom and are unacceptable. But is there another way or we are stuck with these wily politicians and their wicked machinations?
IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?
The lesson to be learnt from such episodes of horse trading and resort politics is that the desire to possess power and position is natural but needs to be regulated. It can only be done if only qualified people with knowledge, skills and a reputation of integrity, character, high morals and who do not covet position and wealth, commit themselves to public life and are elected to office.
There is only value-based politics wherein criminalisation of politics does not get a chance. Governments would then be formed and continue only if they have a mandate and there would be no horse-trading and floor-crossing. The mandate given by people would be respected and accountability would be a sine qua non of governance. Muslims rightly claim that the world has indeed seen such a period of rule in the days of the Prophet ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs. A model for emulation has been set already. The world only needs to be inspired.