Accouintability in Indian Politics

By M H Ahssan

In every democracy including Indian, to bring in accountability in governance the Constitution stands supreme. Question is what happens in a democracy where the elected representative of the people start giving short shift to the constitution itself, as is currently happening in India?

Indian Constitution lays down that before any policy is formulated, all matters of state having long term implications on the well being of the country and its people, will be discussed in both houses of Parliament threadbare. Today the stage has come when these houses of Parliament are being used more as a venue for sloganeering and rabble rousing by both the Treasury benches and the opposition then for any meaningful discussion. The recent comments by no les a person than the Speaker of Parliament Mr. Somnath Chatterjee that the worthy members of Parliament should burn the rule book outside the Parliament if they can not follow the decorum of the house or the other one that these members take the working of the Parliament as a joke, should be an eye opener to all.


The proceeding of the house gets stalled with the drop of a hat. All of course at the cost of tax payer’s money. Things have reached such a nadir that discussions even when they do take place are mostly pedestrian in nature with the worthy members hardly having burnt any midnight oil in preparing for the issues involved. Very recently some distinguished members of Parliament were caught in a sting operation taking money for asking questions in the house.

At the time of Indian Independence, while giving final touches to the Constitution, our founding fathers did not put down any thing in writing against politicians with criminal background coming to power because it was beyond the realm of imagination in those days of clean politics that any criminal will be given ticket by any party. Within 60 years of Independence in India, things have come to such a pass that in the current Parliament, every fifth MP out of a total of approximately 550 MPs, have a criminal background. Our Constitutional makers did not also lay down any educational qualification yardstick for these worthies because it was assumed that parliament itself will frame necessary rules for them, a thing which has not happened till date.
Not only MPs, there are number of tainted ministers also in the current Cabinet of the Prime Minister against whom formal charge sheets have been framed by courts of law. Basic tenets of leadership demand that to be an effective leader and a public figure a person must set his own personal examples. What examples these tainted leaders are setting are anybody’s guess. However it does not auger well for the future of the nation.

It is also revealing that maximum number of these tainted politician’s hail from the two most populous and educationally as also economically the most backward states of India, UP and Bihar. These two states alone contribute 145 MPs to Indian Parliament. The biggest paradox is that these very states are best endowed in the country in terms of irrigation capable land, water and raw materials. What they lack are education and industry the two basic elements on which a successful democracy functions and what they suffer is bad governance.

Out side the Parliament also the current lot of Indian Politicians have not earned many laurels for themselves. Hundreds of corers of tax payer’s money is spent in bringing these netas to power by means of elections in each state. Once the elections are over, then instead of the majority single party or a coalition quickly forming the Government for the good of the people, every possible trick in the trade is used by the party, which has lost at the hustings to stall the Government formation. Cases in point are the pangs of government formation the states of Goa,Jharkhand, Bihar in the past and Karnataka in the recent past had to suffer.

Witch hunting and lack of continuation of the previous Government policies even if they were good by the next Government is a comparatively new phenomenon which has now emerged. Opposition for opposing sake, even if the issue opposed is good for the country, is another tragic development which is making mockery of our current state of democracy. Case in point is Indo-US Nuclear Deal.
On their own, Indian politicians will not like to bring about any change in this murky scenario. Unfortunately for them, the fast spread of Information technology, TV and mobile phone culture in India and the rise of the youth power with about 74 percent literacy which will be voting in full strength in elections due next year, the current Indian polity has become politically very savvy. They are fast realizing that if they want their leaders to deliver they will have to elect capable people and make them accountable. The thrust on cast and religion is giving way to better jobs, better living conditions, better education, better health care and corruption free governance. Electronic and print media also is doing a yeo man service in exposing the corrupt.

Maybe the political parties in India will now give it a cool thought and set their houses in order before it is too late. If things do not improve and feel good effect does not reach the common man it will not take long for things to slide into state of anarchy leading to insurgency. People are getting impatient and they will not wait till the cows come home for their lot to improve. The example is the current breakdown of law and order in North Eastern states and the Naxalite movement gaining ground in the country. The time is running out.

Both houses of Parliament must also function with optimum efficiency.The pay and perks of these politicians should not be fixed by they themselves. A separate autonomous body must be created for the same. Similarly those members of parliament and state assemblies who willfully stall the proceedings of the house must be imposed upon monitory fines. Why should public play for their misdemeanor. In today’s world of Information Technology and globalistion of economy, not only the country but the whole world is watching them. Independence of India had been won too dearly to be sacrificed at the alter of political expediency. Politicians must become more accountable and deliver to people who elected them, instead of making politics a money making industry.