Despite our tall claims of being the world’s largest democracy, the world surely laughs at the quality of our democracy and particularly of the representatives we elect. Our election process may be fairly clean, though doubts have been raised about EVMs, which until proved otherwise need perhaps to be ignored, but this craving for power and filthy attempts at grabbing it by hook or by crook, the horse-trading that goes on soon after the elections or even later, have immensely sullied the reputation of this country.
The happenings in Karnataka are indeed distressing and depressing, where the Constitutional head helps the Party he belonged to, to grab power illegally in a State. It was shameful for the BJP to join hands with PDP – a Party with secessionist tendencies – in Kashmir just to be in power in that State. But in Goa, Manipur, Bihar, etc. too, it was seen that the BJP would stoop to any levels to rule the States and thus bring the entire country under BJP to fulfill their nefarious agenda.
It is not that such happenings were not witnessed in the past but should we allow such immorality in public life and biased behavior of Governors be allowed to continue?
A question that also comes to my mind is why did the Congress need to enslave their elected MLAs in the cage of Eagleton Resort? (Animal lovers would have protested had it been done to dogs). Surely it was because they could not be trusted and could easily be lured by the crores that another Party has in abundance. Are our elected representatives, Honourable MLAs, so cheap that they are purchasable like land or any other commodity?
The Governor’s decision could not have been different coming as it does from a RSS-BJP man. The BJP is taking shelter in Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations, which gives second preference to the largest single party, after the first of inviting alliance of parties formed prior to elections had become inapplicable in the instant case. However, what is being conveniently ignored by BJP is that Sarkaria Commission has also recommended that active politicians and people belonging to the ruling party at the Centre should not be appointed to States ruled by another Party. This recommendation was violated when Vajubhai Vala, an active RSS worker and multiple times BJP Minister in Gujarat Government and later Speaker was appointed Governor of Congress-ruled Karnataka.
It sounds logical sometimes that the largest single party should be invited to form the Government. Yes, this could be if there are sufficient Independent MLAs who could be supporting the largest single party. But in the instant case there are only two Independents and even with their support, the BJP cannot cobble a majority having only 104 seats of 112 needed. So, the Governor brazenly was encouraging defections as all other MLAs belonged either to Congress or Janata Dal (Secular). Further the Governor had in his possession a letter signed by 117 MLAs claiming the right to form the Government. Can the Governor be asked to explain how he expects the BJP to have a majority, except through horse trading, particularly when he already holds a letter from all the MLAs of Congress & JD(S) claiming to be together for the formation of the Government? But Vala has indeed shamed the constitutional position of the Governor by his partisan attitude, further smearing it by giving Yeddyurappa 15 days to prove his majority and thus allowing him sufficient time to engineer defections.
Though there have been many instances of the largest single party being invited, the Supreme Court in Goa case, just last year, felt it was right for the Governor to invite the largest combination of parties to form the Government and not the largest single party which was the Congress. I recall Parrikar justifying his right to form the Government because the BJP had a larger vote share than the Congress though four seats less.
In Karnataka, the Congress got 38% as against 36% of the BJP, though with 26 seats less. The Congress and JD(S) combined have over 50% of vote share. So, in no way was there a justification for BJP to be called to form the Government. The attempts of the Congress now to claim the right to form the Government in Goa based on the precedent in Karnataka, are simply preposterous, as they would need to defeat the Government on the floor of the House before such claim can be made. However, whatever we may feel about Rahul Gandhi’s capabilities of leading the nation, he must be credited with having allowed JD(S) leader to claim the right to be the CM, despite his Party having more than double the number of seats of JD(S).
It is commendable that the Congress, through Rahul, is now coming down from its pedestal and realizing the ground reality. The Congress in Goa, in particular must learn from this lesson in humility. Hopefully Girish Chodankar can bring about this much needed change and groom younger people to take over the reins of the Party and keep the older people out of race, especially for the CM’s post, for which there are at times more candidates than MLAs.
Governor Vala surely knows that Yeddurappa is capable of getting enough Vishwajit Ranes on his side in Karnataka Assembly and hence took this most controversial decision. Unaccounted money is available in plenty, especially when the Reddy brothers are on Yeddurappa’s side and were given tickets with Amit Shah’s approval. But all this has brought down considerably the prestige of Governor’s position and of course of the BJP, whose reputation is getting a beating nearly every day, on some count or the other.
(The author is a retired banker)
