MLAs on Sale Again: A Mockery of Democracy
When the entire country is in mourning over the death and destruction that coronavirus and the lockdown that followed have caused, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat is witnessing the theatre of absurdity where ‘Operation Kamala’ (a term given to the BJP’s attempt to buy opposition MLAs) has reached a crescendo in the backdrop of the Rajya Sabha election. Putting the country’s economic downturn to shame, Gujarat is seeing crores of rupees being exchanged in horse trading (a term given to negotiating deals to buy MLAs). Already three Congress MLAs have been lured by the BJP’s offers and have resigned from their posts, forcing the Congress to adopt a counter strategy of ‘quarantining’ its members in a resort.
When industries are facing their worst ever crisis and are staring at bankruptcy and economic activity has seen a slump like never before, the BJP government does not seem to be facing any shortage of funds to buy the opposition MLAs. These developments are a public mockery in the face of the acute livelihood issues before the common man and when the country is in the throes of a daily struggle of life and death. It is almost as if politicians have nothing to do with the problems their voters are facing, conveniently forgetting the fact that they owe their power, which they are using unashamedly to amass wealth, to these people.
Many have alleged that the ‘Namaste Trump’ roadshow organized in Ahmedabad was responsible for the entry of the Corona virus into the country. In the light of the ‘Namaste Trump’ event, many restrictions in the airports were delayed. Experts have stated that the country would not have had to suffer a complete lockdown if the government had imposed restrictions in airports and quarantined those who entered the country way back in February itself at the time of the event. Modi failed to understand the gravity of the situation arising out of the Corona virus and didn’t heed to the repeated warnings of the World Health Organization (WHO). Organizing the prestigious ‘Namaste Trump’ event was more important to the Prime Minister than the health of the country and imposed the lockdown only after the virus had spread its wings across the country. The lockdown did not have any impact on the spread of the virus/ but succeeded in destroying the country’s economy that was already down in the dumps.
That Ahmedabad was Corona’s gateway into the country was an allegation levelled by none other than a senior Shiv Sena leader. Lending credence to this allegation is the number of Corona-related deaths registered in Ahmedabad. Today, Gujarat is one among the states that have gained notoriety for the higher number of Corona infections. Similarly, Gujarat has failed to handle the problem of migrant labor. With relaxation in the lockdown restrictions, the possibility of the Corona virus spreading its tentacles is high. It is now imperative more than ever for the Gujarat government to come up with mitigation plans to protect the people and provide solace to those who are bearing the brunt of the economic downturn. Instead of stepping up its efforts in these directions, the Gujarat government is focusing all its energy on increasing the number of BJP’s Rajya Sabha members. Those who cited helplessness in providing funds for development works are now spending crores of rupees for ‘Operation Kamala’. The opposition Congress that had to join hands with the government in fighting the Corona virus is now being subjected to ‘resort quarantine’ with the scare of losing its MLAs looming large.
For the Congress in Gujarat, though, the BJP’s modus operandi is not new. Whenever the opportunity has arisen, the BJP has been buying MLAs to its fold. The political developments that Gujarat witnessed during the 2017 Rajya Sabha elections made national headlines and garnered attention for the involvement of Karnataka in the political drama. To ensure that their party MLAs are not purchased, Gujarat Congress leaders took refuge in a Bangalore resort and the onus of their security fell on Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar who succeeded in this mission. Though this increased Shivakumar’s prestige nationally, it was also responsible for triggering the ire of the BJP central leadership against him. It has also been alleged that the IT raids that he faced later was an outcome of the resort politics that resulted in a harsh jail term for Shivakumar. Now, the history of horse trading and resort politics is repeating itself yet again in Gujarat.
Recently, the Union Finance Minister admitted that the government does not have funds for developmental projects and that new projects would have to be put off by a year. However, just before the countrywide lock-down, Madhya Pradesh had witnessed the collapse of the Congress government under the weight of ‘Operation Kamala’. Political developments, first in Madhya Pradesh and now in Gujarat, indicate that our leaders have no dearth of cash to buy MLAs compared to the Centre that is citing lack of funds for developmental projects. Hundreds of crores exchanged hands by the time the BJP government came to power in Madhya Pradesh. A similar plot of toppling the state government is being hatched in Maharashtra. In Karnataka, where the BJP came to power by resorting to ‘Operation Kamala’ just a year ago, BJP leaders have been repeatedly holding out the threat of buying more opposition MLAs. When the country is facing a massive fund crunch for carrying out developmental works, what is the source of money for the BJP to indulge in these political games? When the country’s economy has collapsed, how can only the BJP’s economy face a surge in fortunes? How could the BJP garner recognition for being the richest party in the world? These questions and the disappearance of black money after demonetization are obviously linked.
Despite the relaxation of lockdown norms, shops and commercial establishments are not seeing any business, but those indulging in horse trading and who are willing to get high bids are seeing bright days laden with money bags. The manner in which MLAs are selling themselves to the highest bidder is a sad reflection of the state of affairs in the country and is the greatest tragedy that India is facing. As long as people are willing to sell themselves, there will always be buyers. Though the BJP is to be fully blamed for this total erosion of values of electoral politics, the Congress is also guilty of having as its members those who are not committed to either ideology or originality of thought or personality. Instead of selling themselves in this manner, it would be better for parties to auction their MLAs after elections and the party that buys the maximum number of MLAs can then form the government. This would at least save the people the trouble of facing elections repeatedly!
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Priyanka Gandhi: Cong's talismanic campaigner enters Parliament after 'long, long time'
New Delhi (PTI): Will she? Will she not? And on Saturday, she did. After years of frenzied speculation, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is finally entering the Lok Sabha after a resounding win from Wayanad with many a hope that she will re-energise her party and its dwindling electoral fortunes.
The 52-year-old, who joins her mother Sonia and brother Rahul as an MP in what is a rare instance of three members of a family together in Parliament, would visit Parliament as a teenager to listen to her father Rajiv Gandhi speak as prime minister. Four decades later, she joins as member herself -- her detractors crying nepo politics and her party supporters laying out the proverbial red carpet for a promise finally met.
She should have been a politician to the manner born given the Gandhi legacy. But Priyanka Gandhi took the long and winding way into mainstream politics. First were the questions of whether the mother of two would join active politics, and then whether and when she would contest elections.
In September 1999, she told a journalist her entry into politics may take a "long, long time". And it actually did. She took the plunge 20 years later in 2019 and was later appointed Congress general secretary.
Five years after that, Priyanka Gandhi begins her journey as an elected representative of the people.
With a winning margin of more than 4.1 lakh votes, she has surpassed the tally of her brother Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala.
Priyanka Gandhi's entry into Parliament comes at a difficult time for the party, which has been jolted by electoral defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra. It would be interesting to see if she is able give a much-needed fillip to the grand old party and help put it back on electoral track.
Often drawing comparisons with her grandmother Indira Gandhi for their similarity in looks and way of speaking, Priyanka Gandhi has been the go-to campaigner for the party since her entry into active politics and even before that when she campaigned for her mother Sonia and brother Rahul.
And more than both, she is the one who many say has the easiest touch when it comes to communicating with people, individuals and crowds, and also in articulating the party's viewpoint on a range of issues. That she is often seen with her brother, sometimes teasing, sometimes chiding and always affectionate, has added to the image of the convivial politician.
Frequently referring to her childhood, the pain of her father Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and her mother's grief, she steered the Congress' campaign during the general election, adroitly walking the tightrope between striking a familial chord and discussing national-level issues. She proved to be a strategist, orator and mass mobiliser -- all rolled into one.
Most of her speeches are akin to a conversation with the crowd, establishing a connect and giving people the impression that here was a person who was known to them, someone sharing her feelings and thoughts with them.
As star campaigner and strategiser, Priyanka Gandhi helped the Congress make impressive gains in some states as well as in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier in the year. Her campaign helped the Congress get 99 seats in the general election, up from 52 in 2019.
As the curtains came down on the 2024 general election, analysts totted up the numbers to highlight that she has proven to be the party's talisman. Priyanka Gandhi took part in 108 public meetings and roadshows. She campaigned in 16 states and a Union territory, and also addressed two party workers' conferences in Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Gandhi has often been projected as a possible challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi and also as a successor to Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi in the family pocket borough of Rae Bareli.
Soon after the Election Commission announced the Wayanad bypoll, the Congress declared that Priyanka Gandhi would be its candidate from the seat in Kerala. Rahul Gandhi, it decided, would retain the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat he won for the second consecutive time.
After her name was announced for the Wayanad bypoll in June, Priyanka Gandhi said, "I am not nervous at all.... I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad. All I will say is that I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. I will work hard and try my best to make everybody happy and be a good representative."
"I have a good relationship with Rae Bareli as I worked there for 20 years and that relationship will never break," she said, adding that both she and her brother will work together in both the constituencies.
Priyanka Gandhi was made Congress general secretary in-charge of the crucial eastern Uttar Pradesh region in January 2019 and then general secretary in-charge of the entire state.
In December 2023, Priyanka Gandhi was made Congress general secretary "without a portfolio". She helped strengthen the organisation and led the party's campaign in Himachal Pradesh, where the grand old party wrested power from the BJP.
Born on January 12, 1972, Priyanka attended New Delhi's Modern School and the Convent of Jesus and Mary. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, and also has a master's degree in Buddhist studies.
Priyanka Gandhi is married to businessman Robert Vadra. The couple has two children -- Raihan and Miraya.
Her entry into Parliament has been long awaited by party's workers and supporters and they are hoping she will provide the booster shot the party needs in its difficult phase at the hustings going forward.
