UP Election: Do we have a real choice?

Viewpoint: The typical Indian politician is an opportunist par excellence who changes colours like a chameleon. So should we vote for?
Ibraheem Ali Khan Lucknow

Lincoln had, in exasperation, once defined politicians as a set of men who have interests aside from the interests of the people, and are generally many steps removed from honest and scrupulous men. Politicians seldom act or plan straight. They are not what they seem, and they seem what they are not. Politicians and scruples are poles apart. A scrupulous person may never become a successful politician, and a politician will never have any scruples, as otherwise he will not, generally, be able to practise the subtle art of playing politics.

Where there is politics, there are inevitably clever practitioners of the complex art. There is politics in religion, in education, in culture, in the arts and the cinema, at home and in the offices. There are more dishonest men and hypocrites among politicians than among any other class of people. The exceptions are so few that they make little difference to the generality. Moreover, truthful, honest and principled politicians cannot last in a society such as India's where straightforwardness and fair play are at a discount.

Earnest and devoted service of the masses is, however, rare in our country; instead of selfless service, there is exploitation through deceptive and heart-moving oratory; and instead of promoting social welfare, there is promotion of one's own interests and that of one's relatives and friends: call it the feathering of one's own nest.

The typical Indian politician is an opportunist par excellence. He changes colours like a chameleon. Loyalty, sincerity and honesty are as far removed from him as the earth is from the sky. There is no end to the trickery, the sham and the hypocrisy, which the Indian politician symbolises.

The current membership of Lok Sabha includes 154 members with criminal antecedents. BJP leads with 42 MPs, followed closely by Congress with 41; 84 were charged with murder, 17 with robbery and 27 with theft, extortion and other crimes. And there is one MP who is among the accused in 17 murder cases!

To think that every law is being passed by these law-breakers!

Uttar Pradesh has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of ministers sacked on corruption and criminal charges; it also holds the record for maximum number of MLAs facing rape charges, and the maximum number of MLAs in jail.

Despite repeated warnings by the Election Commission and the judiciary, despite social campaigns to stir the conscience of party leaders, no political party is shying away from fielding tainted candidates. Even small, local outfits have joined the race to field musclemen, mafia dons, rapists, murderers and dacoits as their candidates for the coming elections.
The three Ms – Money, Muscle and Mismanagement – rule the state. Behind the public facade of political rivalry, the real race is for money and wealth.

The tragedy of India is its political system; there are several laws in India to control corruption, but the same have failed because of their non-implementation – for reasons that are obvious and crystal clear!