The new version of Aya Ram Gaya Ram that is political defection is eroding the base of political parties in India and shaking the people’s faith in democratic governance.
The cash for vote drama in Lok Sabha is a forgotten chapter. It is a fact that the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh survived and did even better on the floor with a little help from the Bharatiya Janata Party members.The floorcrossers have been amply rewarded, with witness Jharkand Mukti Morcha chief becoming the chief minister of Jharkand. It is a win-win situation for some and a lose-lose situation for a few.
In Karnataka for instance, the first BJP government in the south led by BSYeddyurappa is busy wooing members from other parties and rewarding them with plum posts. The reason given is that the opposition parties are not cooperating with the government even in times of crisis. This is a timeworn excuse, because the prima donna of congress, Mrs Indira Gandhi would voice the same sentiments in the heydays of her glory, before clamping down emergency.
The bigger question faces us: for whatever their worth, the political parties come out with their manifestoes, plan of action etc. The members of these parties, by extension, get elected on this basis. At least on the surface, it is true. When they change parties, do they also give up this ideology? And what about the voters who reposed faith in them? Are they not taken for a ride?
Naturally, a revolt is brewing in the Bharatiya Janata Party. The old loyalists feel let down because the newly found ones are rewarded and rewarded richly. There is also discontent in the Janata Dal-secular led by Mr. Devegowda and the congress. Their members were poached by the ruling party. The ripples have started. The political pool is disturbed. None can say how or when calm will be restored, if ever.
In the intervening period, the voters have to live with this harsh reality, that ideology belongs to a bygone era. It is realty politics.