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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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
