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My Word
Look Ma, Democracy has No Clothes!
by Rajinder Puri
After the Constitutional deadline had
expired for the Maharashtra government to be sworn in the
UPA-NCP alliance advised the Governor that they would do the
needful within forty-eight hours. Okay, said the Governor
indulgently. Heck, a few hours delay won’t ruin the
Constitution. The BJP demanded President’s rule. Stop worrying
about Maharashtra and focus on Karnataka, sneered Congressmen.
What ailed government formation in Maharashtra? It was the
division of portfolios. Home, Energy and Rural Development were
the plums sought by both alliance partners. Were the parties so
deeply interested in the subjects looked after by these
ministries? The street would laugh at the suggestion. Energy and
Rural Development are very lucrative. Home allows the incumbent
to bully the vulnerable and to protect the guilty. The financial
potential of the ministries concerned was freely commented upon
by sections of the media and talked about in the street. And as
for protecting the guilty by Home is concerned one can’t be too
careful these days, can one? Former Chief Minister Koda jailed
for mega corruption is small fry compared to the big fish ruling
the land.
But let’s not get obsessed with Maharashtra. Think of ailing
Karnataka. Two mining tycoons in the government want to change
the chief minister because he is impeding their business. So
they organized rebellion. The crucial strategic ploy was of
course to mobilize those members of the central high command of
the party who were already against the CM.
The street believes
that money exchanged hands. Websites even mentioned the exact
figure. The BJP high command failed to remove the CM. The street
speculated: if the high command didn’t deliver would the tycoons
spill the beans? The high command was in a quandary. That’s why
the crisis turned into paralysis. To garner additional support
against the CM who commanded a majority in the legislature the
savvy masterminds in the high command resurrected an old issue
about a woman minister unpopular with many MLAs. Stories were
planted to revive the controversy in friendly media outlets.
With the CM under new pressure the paralysis continued to
linger.
In contrast to the Byzantine intrigues of Karnataka politics the
Haryana assembly paralysis is refreshingly straight forward.
After the recent poll the sitting CM retained his post despite
being in a minority and despite party rivals baying for his
blood. He was sworn in. But for days on end he remains the only
incumbent in the government. He managed victory with the support
of 7 independents. Naturally each must be given a ministerial
post. You can’t call this corruption because it doesn’t involve
money. Unfortunately that leaves just about 13 portfolios to be
distributed among his hungry party MLAs. But worry not; sooner
or later all this will be sorted out.
 Constitutional and legal impropriety is hardly a topic to
attract attention. Two Supreme Court Judges have removed
themselves from a case because belatedly it dawned on them that
they faced a conflict of interest. They had proximity to the
business tycoons whose dispute they were hearing in court. How
could they agree to sit on the Bench in the first place? Ah
well, we are a tolerant society aren’t we? And such minor
indiscretions are all that our poor Judges allow themselves.
Their private assets recently disclosed under sustained public
pressure exposed them as being too impoverished for becoming
suitable targets of criticism.
What slightly worries the street is the collapse of governance
along the entire west coast. The Kerala government is in the
midst of a faction war over corruption, Karnataka and
Maharashtra are paralyzed over government formation, and Gujarat
has a chief minister facing accusation of being complicit in
communal riots even as he ails from swine flu. But people in the
west coast can cheerfully point out that they are better off
than people in eastern India where Maoists are waging a war
against the state even as our redoubtable Home Minister
repeatedly and vainly invites them for peace talks. There are of
course serious threats of terrorist violence from across the
borders. However the FBI will look after that.
Critics might carp over the lack of governance, the trampling of
Constitutional and legal norms, the brazen corruption, and the
mounting threats of terrorism and insurgency. They should look
at the bright side. Ideologues tell us that maximum transparency
is best for democracy. So what’s wrong with naked democracy?
November 5, 2009
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