Political Diary

New Delhi, 24 October 2023

Cash-for-Vote Scam

JILTED LOVE, HENRY & POWER OF GREED

By Poonam I Kaushish 

A swanky new crime thriller has political Delhi agog spiced by jilted love, expensive gifts, luxurious holidays, threats, monetary favours, big business topped by a tug-of-war over Henry, a Rottweiler’s custody. The “Cash for Question” scam which has engulfed Mamta’s TMC MP Mahua Moitra is a classic case of love gone sour, swooning over Henry or a tip of iceberg, either way it exposes our fallacious tryst with morality and Power of Greed. Sic.

It all started with BJP MP Dubey accusing Moitra of “asking questions in Lok Sabha for cash and gifts from Dubai-based businessman Hiranandani, demanding her immediate suspension from the House. Speaker Birla has sent it to the House Ethics Committee which has summoned both Thursday. Mahua retaliated by filing a defamation case against Dubey and ex-partner Supreme Court lawyer Dehadrai accusing them of extracting “political and personal vendetta.” 

The matter took a turn with Hiranandani sending a sworn affidavit to the Committee endorsing the allegations stating “she quickly wanted to make a name ….using the shortest route to fame by personally attacking Prime Minister Modi and had given him her Parliament login password.” It’s  another matter that he had earlier denied the allegations by saying he has nothing to do with politics.

Despondency or revulsion aside, what’s so special about this case which we already haven’t witnessed in 2011, 2005, 1996 and 1993? Recall in December 2005 a sting operation by two journalists showed 11 MPs taking cash for raising questions in Parliament. They were immediately expelled and in 2011 charge-sheeted by police.

Earlier on 20 July 1993 a CPM MP moved a No Confidence Motion against Narasimha Rao’s minority Congress Government. The Congress had 251 of 528 Lok Sabha MPs, but it defeated the motion with 265 votes by ‘garnering’ 14 missing votes.

Remember JMM MP Suraj Mandal who in 1996 filed a complaint with CBI alleging 14 MPs including him were paid over Rs. 3 crores for voting Congress.  In an iconic speech in Lok Sabha said he: “Which MP does not take money… I know the people who have made money from coal and iron extracted…taken donations, money in thailis and gathris… Adding, “Do saand ke beech bachchre ko kyon la rahe ho?” (referring to Congress and BJP). His speech was heard in pin-drop silence. None protested.  How could they? He was only speaking the truth.

Wring your hands all you want, but that does not take away from the fact that absence of probity at all levels of public life is common knowledge and morality, honesty and integrity are words non-existent in the political vocabulary.  

The latest cash-for-query scam only highlights the deep malaise that affects our political system. In fact, the under-belly of power politics has become more shameless, rotten, ugly and raw to the gutter level. Fame and power at any cost no matter what it takes. Forget Constitutional morality.

Today, it suits the ruling BJP to go to town raving and ranting, appear horrified, adopt a holier-than-thou attitude and profess to uphold the best tenets of Parliamentary democracy. Sic. Even as Opposition INDIA bloc maintains pin drop silence and Moitra’s TMC plays deaf and dumb, for reasons best known to it.

Arguably, in a milieu wherein large suitcases are proving too small to stuff political skeletons, the moot point is: How can our right Honourables ‘sell’ the dignity and honour of Parliament for money? Worse, there is no remorse on an issue which impinges on the essence, dignity and credibility of Parliament? When will our netagan stop their immoral dhanda? Who is the culprit in whose eyes? Had our MPs gone in for some soul-cleansing, taken timely action and stemmed the rot in 1993, 1996, 2005, 2011, 2023 would not have happened.

But it did. Bluntly, because politics continues to be all about money, honey. Whereby, buying-selling of votes is on auto-mode happening all the time. Wads of notes are exchanged at a drop of a hat. It’s open secret that in the business of democracy everything comes for a price including politicians. It happens all the time, where wads of green dictate political discourse. And going to jail is fast becoming a badge of honour!

Today we live in an era, where public morality and practical politics has acquired a particularly grotesque dimension whereby nine out of ten cases go unreported.  Confessed a seasoned politician: Is hamam me hum sab nange hain. Na BJP mein hain danav, na Congresss mein devta. An honest MP is one who is not caught.”

Succinctly remarked an INDIA MP, “BJP is hurting because we are raising uncomfortable questions about Adani, Modi’s crony… they are only settling political scores, it has nothing to do with being corrupt or clean. Law will take its course but the main verdict comes from the electorate.” Conveniently, forgetting that an electoral victory does not erase moral turpitude.

So unlike 1951 when MP Mudgal was charged with dubious dealings with the Bombay Bullion Exchange and had taken Rs 1000 each on two occasions to ask questions suggested by it. He had also asked for Rs 20,000 from its President reportedly for preparing a pamphlet and memorandum.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Nehru himself investigated the matter and said in Lok Sabha, “I met him twice but the explanation he gave me was not satisfactory. … His conduct is highly derogatory and highly objectionable.”  However, Mudgal pre-empted his expulsion and resigned, thereby setting a benchmark for accountability of legislators.

What next? The issue is not Dubey vs Mohua for both need to remember Mark Twain. Said he, “Confession is good for the soul and bad for the reputation.”  That aside, it once again underscores our politicians are expected to be a notch above ordinary mortals and hence ‘more equal.’ Time our polity realises people placed in positions of legislation or power must take extra steps to insure that their private interests do not compete with their professional duties.

When the leaders become perpetrators who will judge the guilty? Our netas need to desist from Greed for Power and Power of Greed. Given that when an undataa becomes a saudagar , the aam aadmi  is bound to become garib!  

All in all, the coming days are crucial. It is in the interest of healthy democracy that unhealthy precedents are not set. Parliamentary democracy can succeed only when rules of the game are followed honestly.

The success of the investigation into the cash-for-vote scam and bringing the guilty to book would be a much-needed course correction. Perhaps chart a new dimension in upholding the best tenets of Parliamentary morality and probity.

Our netagan need to remember a home-truth: Public accountability is indispensable in a democratic set-up. With power comes responsibility. Time for our leaders to wake up from their deep slumber of self conceit and deception of money hai to power hai! ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)