Self-interest guides politicians of today; not ideology that forms the base and the sine qua non for every political establishment. Politicians are changing their colour with the ease of a chameleon, as is seen in the case of former Punjab PCC chief Sunil Jakhar who, three days after he quit the Congress, was welcomed with open arms by the central BJP leadership. Instances are one too many, as in the case of two young and aspiring politicians – Hardik Patel in Gujarat and Kanhaiya Kumar in Bihar. A poster boy for the CPI, Kumar ditched it and joined the Congress, only to march out of it too within months. Patel, who sought to uphold the cause of his community in Gujarat, ended up in the Congress and became its state-level working president, only to quit it and badmouth it now, saying its leaders are casteist and corrupt. Hints are that he would side with the BJP. Several Congressmen, including legislators, have in recent times quit the Congress party as it fell on bad times. Some have found sanctuary in the TMC, as in Meghalaya and Goa, and others elsewhere where the pastures were greener.
The anti-defection law brought in by Rajiv Gandhi when he was prime minister in the 1980s had stemmed the rot for some years vis-a-vis elected leaders changing their allegiance from one party to another – a situation that had created frequent fall of governments. A stage came when legislators sold themselves out for crores. While the scenario changed for the better, the loopholes in the law are now being exploited by cunning politicians. While the Speaker is vested with powers to disqualify such legislators, there is no time-limit set in the law for him to take a decision. With the result, such cases are kept dragging on for years, as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu recently pointed out and called for suitable amendments and new teeth to the legislation.
The sum and substance of all such indulgences is the disappearance of ideology from the realm of politics. Politics is so vitiated that it is a means for crooks, muscle flexors and schemers to fill their cash-chests. Reason why politics is cited as the best business today, when businessmen themselves make a business out of looting public sector banks and scooting from the scene. Such cases also drag endlessly. Politicians should not be allowed to change colour overnight and join rival political establishments. A commitment to an ideology cannot change so soon. Those who do so are taking the people for granted. Politics cannot be a circus without a ring.
