Transcript QUEST FOR A BETTER DEMOCRACY - Home

QUEST FOR A BETTER DEMOCRACY
Jashwant B. Mehta
(Convener-Forum For Presidential Democracy)
Part I – Present Scenario
Part II – Solution
Part III – Action Programme
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Part I – Present Scenario
a. Ever-growing frustration and discontent against
the present political system
b. Rampant Corruption among politicians and
bureaucrats. Has now reached unprecedented
heights. Scams gallore.
Spectrum 2G, Adarsh, Commonwealth Games .....
c. “Democracy is of the people, for the people & by
the people.” It is only a formal democracy where
the word ‘People’ seems to have been replaced by
the ‘politicians’
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Stability – Central Govt.
Last 20 years - 8 Elections (3 mid-term)
10 Coalition Govts
6 governments collapsed prematurely
Prime Minister
Year /Tenure
V.P. Singh
1989 / 11 months
National Front a make strift coalition
of Janata Dal (143 M.P.s) & Telugu
Desam, DMK & A.G.P. supported by
B.J.P. & left front from outside (both
diametrically opposite to each other).
Collapsed due to withdrawal of support
by BJP.
1990 / 5 months
Break away Janata Dal with 64 M.Ps
supported by Congress (197 M.Ps) from
outside. Collapsed due to withdrawal of
support by Congress.
Chandrashekhar
Government
MID – TERM ELECTIONS 1991
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Prime Minister
Year /Tenure
Government
Narsimha Rao
1991 – 96
5 years
Congress with 232 seats & other regional
parties. Open allegations of pay-offs to JMM
members to win vote on no confidence motion.
Vajpayee
1996
15 days
BJP (180 seats) could not rope in other parties
Deve Gowda
1996 – 97
11 months
Coalition of 14 parties led by Janata Dal
supported from outside by Congress (127 seats).
Collapsed when support withdrawn by Congress.
I. K. Gujral
1997 – 98
10 months
United Front Coalition of 16 parties supported
from outside by Congress (127 seats). Same fate
as Deve Gowda when Congress withdrew support.
MID – TERM ELECTIONS 1998
Vajapayee
1998
15 months
NDA led by BJP (182 seats) & 21 other parties.
Collapsed due to withdrawal of support by
Jayalalitha. (AIADMK – 18 seats)
MID – TERM ELECTIONS 1999
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1999-2004
NDA coalition of 23 parties (296 seats) led by BJP
(182 seats)
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Prime Minister
Year /Tenure
Manmohan Singh
2004 – 2009
5 years
UPA consisting of Congress with 184 seats &
21 other parties. Also supported by CPM from
outside. Managed to survive when CPM
withdrew support as Indo-American Civil
Nuclear deal Mulayam Singh Yadav stepped in
to save the Govt. (Price extracted as withdrawal
of disproportionate assets case initiated by CBI
in Supreme Court)
-do-
2009
onwards
UPA led by Congress with 206 seats and DMK
- 18 seats, NCP-9, TC-19, TMM-2, NC-3,
RJP-4, Others -5. Virtual spectator Ministerships
distributed as largesse as per coalition parties
choice. Allowed to siphon off money without
any control. ‘Compromises have to be made in
coalition.’ (P.M.’s speech in press conference in
Feb. 2011). At what cost? (Rs.1.76 Lakh crore
Telecom Scandal involving great Raja & his
Colleagues!)
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Government
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STABILITY – State level
Record even more dismal
Our largest State UP
Period : 1995 – 2002
8 Govts. with President’s rule in between on 2 occasions which
included 3 spells of Mayawati besides Kalyan Singh, Rajnath
Singh etc.
Period : 1967 – 1974
8 Govts. with 2 spells of President’s rule in between which
included 2 spells of CB Gupta and Charan Singh besides TN
Singh, Bahuguna and Kamalapati Tripathi
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Second largest State Bihar
Period : 1967 – 1972
8 Govts. with 2 terms of President’s rule in between which included Bhola
Paswan’s 3 terms as Chief Minister and others included Mandal (well known
for Mandal Commission), Karpoorie Thakur, Harihar Singh etc.
1967 – 1969
85 members had changed the parties.
Smaller States, still worse
Meghalaya
Period : 1992 – 2007
12 Govts. in a 15 year period
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Goa
Period : 1990-2000
14 Govts. in a 10 year period. Pratap Singh Rane, Dr. Wilfred D’Souza,
Ravi Naik rotated post of Chief Minister 7 times among themselves
Haryana
Period : 1967
During 8 months spell it provided us with a new word ‘Aayaram ……
Gayaram’. In a 81 member assembly, 31 members had defected one way
or the other and some as many as for 4 times
1980 record unsurpassed till now in Indian politics when entire ruling
Janata Party defected to Congress!
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Enemies Zindabad !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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Collapsible Support !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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This is becoming a nuisance, a code must be evolved so that no
government can be toppled for at least a couple of months!
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Wiped out corruption, improved the lot of the common man, brought prosperity to plenty,
when he governed as the chief minister between 17th March, 1997 and 24th March 1997
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Courtesy : R.K. Laxman
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Hold it ! Don’t, don’t ! I received news that he is no longer the chief minister. The
opposition has just toppled him!
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Courtesy : R.K. Laxman
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I had the majority support for full two days. If he had allowed me I
would have formed a government by now!
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Courtesy : R.K. Laxman
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Our Jumbo Cabinets
1. ‘Size’ determined by ‘Necessity for Survival’
(Either for Govt or for Chief Minister or Prime Minister as Individuals)

New records established
(i) Laloo prasad’s record of 67 member cabinet in Bihar broken by
(ii) Kalyan Singh’s cabinet of 93 members in UP
(iii) Haryana had 33 ministers out of 90 member house
(Ruling Party had 51 members which means for every 3 members, 2
were ministers!)

Compare

British Cabinet – 20 members (Tradition – No written Constitution)

Japanese Cabinet – 20 members (Constitution)

Australian Cabinet – 30 members (Constitution)

American cabinet – only 14 members
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Recommendations of Venkatachalliah Commission
on Constitutional Reforms (year 2000) to restrict our
cabinet to 10% of total no. of legislators in
Assembly watered down to 15%. This also means
81 member Jumbo cabinet for the Central Govt.
(543 M.Ps in Lok Sabha). Smaller states such as
Goa, Sikkim etc. where no. of legislators less than
40, cabinet not to exceed 12 nos. (this would also
mean atleast 30% of the legislators would be
eligible for ministership. In case ruling party has
60% majority, this would mean atleast 60% of
ruling party MLAs would get an opportunity to get
coveted ministers gaddi.
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Ministerships distributed as a Largesse
a. M.C. Chagla – ‘Ministership – A badge of
disloyalty rather than a reward for merit’
b. Professionals play second fiddle
Our Ministers
a. Busy with the Party work
b. More concerned with Public Image
c. Large Majority Engrossed in personal gains for
themselves / Party Bosses
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Secondary Largesse for left-out Legislators
Chairmanship of Public Corporations (State Electricity
Boards, Finance Corporation, Tourism Corporation etc.)
 Constitution amended to facilitate this.
 M.P.s have quotas fixed for allotment of petrol pumps or gas
agencies etc.
 Allocation of Rs. 2 crores (now proposed to be raised to Rs.5
crores!) to be spent annually in their constituency as per
their choice under MPLAD scheme (widely misused &
misappropriated).
 For Rajya Sabha members also same quota which can be
spent anywhere in the State by them.
 MLAs also entitled to such funding. Rs.2 crores alloted per
member in State like Maharashtra.
 In Britain Members of Parliament not allowed any office
of Democracy
profit
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If You Have a Hold You Have a Post !
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Ministership, A Badge of Disloyalty !
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Whether at Home or in Office,
Obsessed with Party Work !
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Any Measures to Woo the Voters !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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The rumour is he is looking for a couple of really
new faces to include in the new Cabinet!
Forum for Presidential Democracy
Courtesy : R.K. Laxman
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Corruption at an Alarming Level
Scams galore !

1991 Telgi scam Rs.41000 crores

1996 Hawala scandal – Jain Brothers Rs.810 crores. Many
prominent politicians were named

1996 Fodder scam Rs.950 crores involving Bihar Chief Minister
Laloo Prasad Yadav and his team

Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) (Mulayam Singh Yadav’s
tenure 2004-2007). Food grains meant for the poor –
smuggled outside the state as well as to countries like South
Africa, Nepal and Bangladesh. 7000 FIRs filed. Amt - ?

2009 Madhu Koda (Ex. Chief Minister of Jharkhand and its
subordinates) scam - Rs.4000 crores
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
2010 Commonwealth games scandal.
Original estimate in 2003 - Rs.1620 crores.
In 2010 - the final cost Rs.30000 crores!
(Two Ton A.C. costing Rs. 70827. Hired for Rs.1.87 lakh each. High altitude Training
Stimulators spent Rs.1.16 crore each at 20 times the market rate). Unbelievable!

Spectrum 2G – our great Raja (mind boggling Rs.1.76 lakh crores!)

Adarsh Housing Scam involving politicians, bureaucrats, defense and armed

The resources of the country mining leases or allotment of land etc. distributed like
their personal ‘jagir’ by our politicians with the help of obliging babus.

With every passing year, we are scaling new heights.

Transparency International’s corruption perception
Index – India ranked 85 in 2008 (from 72 in 2004)

Some of the African countries such as Malavi, Ghana & South Africa ranked better
than India
forces they have all made us forgot about the past scams such as Telgi etc.
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
Global Financial Integrity (Corruption watchdog)
Rs.20,80,000/- (Rupees Twenty Lakhs Eighty ThousandCrores)
(i.e. $4500 billion) money deposited by Indians in Swiss Bank.
(Half of that could retire India of foreign debt and balance will
leave Rs.14,000/- for every Indian).

Swiss Banking Association Report of 2008 reveals
(Rs.8,50,950/- crores) (i.e. $1891 billion) in deposits by
Indians.

‘I have no doubt that the bureaucracy is absolutely corrupt. I
have been referring them as conjoined twins, the political as
well as the executive legislature’ – Santosh Hegde (Karnatak
Lokayukta)
The most disturbing part is that it has now penetrated armed
forces and judiciary which could be the death nail for the
nation
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Corruption – whom does it affect most?


The Rich? The Middle Class? or The Poor?
Everyone, but most affected, poorest of the poor.
(Based on the data provided by Shri N. Vittal, Ex-Chief Vigilance Commissioner
year 2001 (when he was invited as a Chief Guest to speak on the Seminar held
by the Forum on Minimizing Corruption in a Democratic Set-up).
31% of food grains and 36% of sugar meant for PDS (Public
Distribution System) is siphoned off. In terms of money this
comes to Rs.5000 crores p.a.
 In Delhi alone, every month Rs.40 crores collected as bribes by
Police and Municipal Officers from Hawkers, Vendors and Rickshaw
Pullers. (Shri Vittal managed to reduce this by convincing Vajpayee
to remove licensing for this class of people).

It is said that this is only the ‘Tip of the Iceberg’
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Dubious role of CBI, a virtual tool at the hands of the ruling
party.
The most striking example
Directed by Supreme Court – March 2007 to probe case of
disproportionate assets of Mulayam Singh
• October 2007 CBI claims to have sufficient evidence
• July 2008 complete turn around by CBI (an outcome of
Mulayam’s party giving support to UPA alliance to win No
confidence motion on civil nuclear deal ?)
• December 5, 2008 – CBI moved Supreme Court to withdraw
the application to register case against Yadav.
• Supreme Court Bench remarked ‘this clearly means CBI is not
acting independently but on behalf of the Government’.
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When things turned sour on distribution of seats in UP between Congress
and CPI alliance during Lok Sabha elections of 2009, CBI shamelessly
made another ‘U’ turn stating that ‘it stands by its recommendation of
October 2007 that a disproportionate assets case is now made out
against Mulayam Singh’. In the process, CBI has made a laughing stroke
of themselves.
Perhaps the more appropriate name for CBI
‘Corrupt Bureau of Investigation’
or
‘Collaborating Bureau of Investigation’.
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Political corruption – root cause






‘Yatha Raja Tatha Praja’
Relationship between MPs – MLAs – Ministers
Prime Minister / Chief Minister – their very survival
often depends on MPs / MLAs / Ministers.
Irrespective of their (corrupt) background.
PM / CM Helpless to take any action against them
MPs too have their own vested interest to bear
with corrupt C.M. / Prime Minister.
Result :- Undeclared partnership of mutual
interest
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
The honest bureaucrats are demoralised as the Money
openly demanded and paid for creamy (!) postings.

Even the lowest recruitment of Hawaldar has a
price to be paid.

Ministers have wide powers to influence bureaucrats
to toe their line, including power to transfer.

Resulting in low morale of Bureaucrats

Eventually Both prefer to serve each other’s
interest .
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Afraid of Holding Enquiries !
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A Farcial Exercise !
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Help, The Party and Me !
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I am more honest than you are. There are eight
corruption charges against you and only six against me!
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Courtesy : R.K. Laxman
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Legislative Matters

Voting mainly on party lines

Application of mind – In-depth Analysis lacking

Legislations many a times based on vote-catching
gimmicks rather than real welfare of the people

Legislators not bothered to apply their mind on
legislations

Experts appointed on Committees whose reports
never get due attention. Most of them gather dust
or find a place in archives
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Issue of a Whip !
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Lack of Promotion of Leadership Qualities
Failed to produce leaders who could command
confidence of the people
Pre 1947 Period
Post 1947 Period

Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel,
Jayprakash Narayan,
Acharya Kriplani, Rajajee,
Ambedkar, Shastri....... long list
?
Indira Gandhi, Advani,
Vajpayee, V.P. Singh,
Manmohan Singh,
Dewe Gowda, Gujral
None of them command
respect or stature as
earlier period leaders.
????????
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No Accountability by Political Parties

Dubious means of collection of funds by political
parties.

Part siphoned off for personal gains.

Favors granted as a Bargain.

Not mandatory to account for origin of funds and
spending

Party Elections – not mandatory

Autocratic and Arbitrary appointment of Office
bearers, Executive Committee Members etc.
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Election Campaign Funding

Bribing of voter increased in 5 years from Rs.100 per vote to
Rs.1000 per vote (2004-2009)

2009 election total spending (unaccounted black money) by
major political parties for Lok Sabha / State Assembly Elections
(estimated to be Rs.25000 – Rs.50000 crores)

Politicians have now become smart venture capitalists.

Expected return 10-fold in corruption

(Rs.2,50,000 – Rs.50,00,000 crores)

All parties competing with each other

Cost of local elections not considered
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Grabbing the Chance
for a Free Foreign Trip !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
Mayor – Our City Level Leader
Mere Show Piece !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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Selection of Candidates

Merit secondary criteria
Criteria

Loyalty to Party bosses

Bosses themselves keen to promote their own candidates

Candidate’s ability to raise resources at any cost - an important factor

Any sort of criminal record acceptable

Electorate has no say
Consequences

Parties split

Candidates join other parties

Stand as independents

If elected they are Chief pawns in the game of defections

Criminals get free hand on being elected
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No Ticket – No Cap !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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Preference for their close relations including sons /
daughters / wives etc. of prominent politicians to get
nominations from the Party
Indira Gandhi / Sonia Gandhi (Sanjay Gandhi / Rajiv Gandhi / Rahul Gandhi)
Rajesh Pilot (Sachin Pilot)
Sharad Pawar (Ajit Pawar / Supriya Sule)
Laloo Prasad Yadav (Rabridevi Yadav)
Shaikh Abdulla (Farooq Abdulla / Omer Abdulla)
Murali Deora (Milind Deora)
Karunanidhi (Azhagiri / Stalin / Karimozhi)
Charan Singh (Ajit Singh)
………. the list is pretty long. All have promoted their kiths & kins.
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Point of no return ?
Very little enthusiasm to vote
 Image of all political parties – same
 Honesty – Integrity etc. at very low level
 First few years after Independence
Choice between
Good
Not so good
Later Period
Bad – worse
Subsequently
Worse – worst
Now
Hardly any choice

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Same Contents Under Different Names !
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Illustration : Vasant Halbe
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