With 2014 just round the corner and the Lok Sabha elections looming on the horizon, it appears that we have three potential outcomes ahead of us. One, the UPA could return to power. Two, the NDA could come to power. Three, there could be a coalition government with a hotchpotch of regional parties supported by the BJP or the Congress. All three of these options have been tried and tested in the past. Been there, seen it. Not surprisingly, all of them have similar shortcomings. None have any form of intra-party democracy whatsoever, all of them have hordes of corruption charges against their key members, all of them routinely give tickets to people with criminal records, none of them believe in having a transparent candidate selection process, and all their election campaigns are funded by black money. When it comes to bringing political parties under the ambit of RTI, not surprisingly, they are all unanimous in their opposition.
Let's look at the leadership of the three potential alternatives. The recent ordinance saga is a perfect demonstration of UPA's style of functioning. After weeks of internal deliberation and all-party meetings, the PM and his illustrious cabinet decide on an ordinance to aid criminals in politics. After mounting public criticism of the ordinance, Rahul Gandhi barges in at the eleventh hour and plays savior. It also proves that the current crop of UPA ministers, including the PM, are power hungry opportunists lacking even an iota of self-respect. Perhaps Rahul Gandhi is a little slow on the uptake and hence always a late entrant. He performed a similar "gig" on the Lokpal issue two years after the Lokpal battle was raging, with a speech in Parliament calling for Lokpal to be made an independent constitutional body. Of course, his rhetoric remained rhetoric and he did nothing to drive his party towards an acceptable Lokpal bill. There is little doubt that the Gandhis hold the real power in the UPA with no accountability whatsoever. How long is the country going to tolerate this arrangement?
As for the BJP, we have Mr. Modi who has been anointed their PM candidate. Many of his fans believe that he is his own man. "When you vote for Modi, you get Modi and not the BJP," they profess. "He has transformed Gujarat. He is not corrupt. He is a terrific administrator. India will develop under his leadership." His fans can go on and on... They dream of a Modi-wave sweeping the country, though the BJP is now for the most part just a party restricted to the Hindi-belt.
At a recent public meeting, Modi took the Pakistani PM to task for his purported comments in some obscure off-the-record conversation. It's a perfect example of irresponsible rabble-rousing of the kind that an aspiring PM should definitely avoid. At the same time, he has nothing to say on the ordinance because BJP has been equally culpable supporting it on the inside while pretending on the outside to be against it. Babu Bokhiria continues to remain in Modi's cabinet after being sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Rs. 54-crore illegal limestone mining case. Besides, there are 32 BJP MLAs in the Gujarat assembly facing criminal charges. Gujarat has had no Lokayukta for over ten years now. All of Modi's so-called good governance credentials can't hide the above mentioned baggage. Those who clamor for his ride to the PM's chair should think again. Is this the track record that we need in our future PM? And we haven't even mentioned the 2002 riots.
As for the third outcome, let's look at the potential leaders - Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Jayalalitha, to name the top few. All three of them have disproportionate assets cases against them. Is the country going to be any better with such people at the helm of affairs?
If the UPA returns, it could be interpreted as the country having forgiven them for all their rampant corruption. A scary thought to say the least. At the same time, it could be the end of the BJP as we know it and a huge setback for Modi. If the BJP were to come to power, it would be an opportunity for Modi to try his hand at coalition politics, something completely alien to him. On the other hand, should a coalition of regional parties come to power, it will clearly mean that both the BJP and the Congress are further losing their significance as national parties.
Given the glaring deficiencies of all three options, it's a perfect time for the country to reject all three options, and send a message to the political class that it's time for a whole new kind of politics. Perhaps the likes of the Aam Aadmi party and the Loksatta party can provide the direction needed to take India into a more promising future.
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