Dr. S. AUSAF SAIED VASPI OBSERVES that a badly bruised Congress has done it, but the Indo-US nuclear deal was really worth a dogfight in Parliament?
The 275-256 victory of the Congress-led UPA Government is now a stale story. But what stubbornly refuses to become stale is the manner in which the win was allegedly crafted.
In the light of various parties’ decisions, the margin of defeat of the ruling dispensation ought to have been in the vicinity of 16. But the 19-vote victory is stunning by all standards. And thereby hangs a tale, which confuses the core issue as to who is the real winner and who is the actual loser.
Cross Voting
Call it a conspiracy of circumstances or a stroke of luck, what helped the Government go past the magic figure of 272 was cross-voting and abstentions. Twenty-eight parliamentarians defied their party whips and voted in favour of the trust motion while three stayed away. Had this vote management not been conceived or had it not worked, the result would have been 277 ‘Nos’ and 261 ‘Ayes’!
The much-talked of cadre-based BJP, standing out like a sore thumb, happens to be the worst defiance-afflicted party. Cross-voters have also been found in the Janata Dal-S the Biju Janata Dal and MDMK. The question that remains to be answered is: Was it the “voice of conscience” that forced the cross-voters and absentees to do what they did, or their extraordinary step was the result of “other” considerations?
Incredible
Although Rs 3 crore wads-brandishing drama, laboriously enacted by otherwise inconsequential three BJP parliamentarians, Mr Ashok Argal, Mr Faggan Singh Kulsate and Mr Mahavir Bhagora, has all the technical thrills and excitement, it lacks credibility.
If the BJP was so honest, why didn’t its front rank leadership rush to the nearest police station to lodge a complaint against the bribe givers.
Obviously the Speaker instantly delved deep into the strategy of the script writers of the Saffron hue and did not think it prudent to stop voting and first deal with the bribery issue.
For a while, of course, the nation was stunned to learn that it was the “advance” money of a huge bribe allegedly given to the said MPs by an SP leader for abstaining during the voting. But the element of surprise melted into thin air when the TV channels made it known that one of the takers happened to be involved in the “cash for question” scam. The cynics blamed the BJP itself for the farce. Time will tell who has really been stung by the IBN-CNN ‘sting’, but the way the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, conducted the session is praiseworthy. At no point of time did it appear that Somnathda was favouring or fearing any side. He disciplined the Congress, the BJP and the Left alike and he looked least bothered whether the motion fails or flies.
Karat’s Self-Goal
By expelling Somnathda from the CPI (M), Mr Prakash Karat has unfortunately dealt a blow to the communist fraternity. It will be remembered as a self-goal by the disciples of Karl Marx. Somnath is an icon. Upright MPs like him are born in decades if not in centuries. The Congress will not let him down. After his innings as the Lok Sabha Speaker is over, he would definitely be honoured with either a governorship or an ambassadorial assignment in some important socialist state.
Karat’s muta’a (temporary marriage) with the Saffron is bound to make things more complicated as the Left and the BJP are natural adversaries. Tomorrow if the Sangh Parivarists have a fit of Ram Rajya again, the so-called crimson brigade will be isolated and unwanted. Had the over-ambitious comrades heeded Jyoti Basu’s advice not to help the NDA topple Manmohan Singh, they would not have faced the embarrassment of defeat on July 22. Some people learn lessons the hard way.
Pseudo-Nationalists
But one thing is clear. Our parliament has, nay does have, pseudo-nationalists and crypto-patriots. Their interior is totally different from their exterior. Their commitment to the Bharat Mata, their respect to the nation and constitution and their loyalty to their parties, ideologies and oaths is false and fictitious. They, in fact, are commodities put up in the political marketplace where they can go with the highest bidder. Their strong points are not their high-sounding isms or standpoints or views expressed publicly. Their forte is not their self-esteem or self-respect. The be-all and end-all of their life is procuring pelf by any means. They can and would sell their political deity with the least compunction. Otherwise how would you explain the JMM bribery case in which the country’s prime minister purchased MPs with suitcases full of cash to transform a minority government into a majority set-up. Similarly, how would you explain the “cash for question” scam in which “people’s representatives” charged money for raising issues in the sanctum sanctorum of democracy.
Sovereignty Compromised
True, Dr Manmohan Singh has won the vote of confidence. But he has also, perhaps unintentionally, compromised Bharat’s sovereignty. The Hyde Act envisages India formulating “a foreign policy that is congruent to that of the US and is working with the US on key foreign policy initiatives related to no-proliferation.
In addition, the US President is required to annually report to Congress whether India is fully and actively participating in US and international efforts to dissuade, isolate and if necessary sanction and contain Iran if pursues indigenous efforts to develop nuclear capabilities.
These stipulations in the Act constitute an intrusion into our independent decision-making and policy matters – M.P. Veerendra Kumar in The Hindu, July 20, 2008.
Peon vs Legislator
Today a petty peon needs to be at least a matriculate. But no qualification at all is necessary to become an MLA and an MP. What’s the result? In the Hose of 543, 117 gentlemen have been charged with murder, rape, assault, extortion and robbery. Nineteen of our parliamentarians have more than three criminal cases pending against them. Twenty-nine have been accused of wife abuse. Seven have been arrested for fraud. Due to bad credit histories, 71 of them cannot get loans. Twenty-one of them are facing lawsuits. Eighty-four of our lawmakers have paid fines for various offences. Two convicted MPs got a brief freedom from prison to attend session. Please note this is just a bird’s eye-view of the guardians of our Constitution.
MPs Worth Crores
A study of the current Lok Sabha by the Public Affairs Centre, Bangaloru, makes some stunning revelations about the wealth of our “representatives.” The study says on an average an MP is worth Rs1.64 crore. If the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe members are taken out, the figure raises to Rs 2 crore. There is, of course, great variation in the wealth of individual MPs. But the average assets of MPs of all major parties are Rs 1 crore and upward. Only the members of the communist parties have assets well under Rs one crore.
This shows that by and large only rich people are getting elected to Parliament or they are getting filthy rich after coming to power. On top of that, nearly a quarter of the MPs have either criminal charges against them or cases pending in courts.
Another finding is that a larger proportion of elected MPs have criminal cases against them compared to those who were defeated in elections. (Ronojoy Sen in The Times of India, July 23, 2008).]
Sad Story
This data shows “political models” in poor light. But they are no exception. The Indian populace as a whole has degenerated morally and socially. The Page 3 news all over India speaks daily a sorry tale about murders of values and assassinations of principles. Therefore, the bottom-line is: How to produce honest, conscientious, responsible and accountable citizenry. Without robust moral health, we don’t think Bharat can have a strong position in the comity of nations.
Muslim Conviction
The Muslim perception rather conviction is that without an unwavering faith in God Almighty and a firm belief in His Messengers, including the Last Prophet (peace be upon him), and without an unflinching belief in the Day of Resurrection, dependable citizenry cannot be brought into existence.