I’m a bit embarrassed – yes each time we sit down for a serious debate on “black economy”, we invariably end up discussing – electoral reforms – speaks volumes of our core systems! A former Poll-Panel chief had remarked, “…about Rs 10,000 crore of black money was spent in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections…”. It’s laughable when I remind you that the limits of expenditure per an Assembly candidate is just Rs 28 lakh.
Early this week, dirty-cash of Rs 281 crore were unearthed – a day earlier a person ensconced comfily in a state Chief Minister’s convoy was caught with Rs 1.8 crore dubious money, remember 50 days of the demonetisation exercise might well be over, but black continues as black!
“Howsoever good a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are no good, it will prove to be bad. Howsoever bad a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are good, it will still prove to be good”… was said by Dr Ambedkar on the launch of the Constitution in November 1949. I shudder to imagine what he would have remarked today on this!
I think our electoral system, having done its 7-decade-run already frantically looks for thorough 2nd generation reforms! Let’s proceed on a few issues:
Opacity in funding of Parties:
All political parties in stout solidarity, proclaim they are outside the purview of the RTI, although the public exchequer funds them around Rs 600 crore by way of tax exemptions and free air-time, 75% of their total fundings (of a Rs 1400 crore) happened to be either carefully couched under the veil of “electoral trusts” or originate from face-less donors of “electoral bonds”!
Second, a party reports election and propaganda expenses Rs 567 crore last year when there were some state elections involving around 600 candidates where the limit for expenses per assembly candidate is fixed at Rs 28 lakh!
My question here is, why is there a need for such a huge funding in the first place? Freebies are explicitly disallowed under the Representation of People Laws. Should voters not vote only as per past performance, future promises and ideologies all aired free on national media?
Secondly, from the EC web-site, both the Congress and the BJP have been habitual defaulters in furnishing financials as mandated by law. It’s a mystery how their tax exemptions on income and donations merrily continue.
I think it’s a good idea to a) stop cash donations TOTALLY. b) eliminate intermediary incognitos like the Electoral Trusts and Electoral Bonds and create an Election Fund – from a part of the CSR donations from corporates (names published), which shall be distributed by the EC amongst registered political parties in proportion to votes polled by them in the last assembly election, c) Why should tax-payers subsidise entities who afford Rs 150 crore in a year in plush palatial buildings on prime Delhi land?
In other Countries: in the UK and the US there are no direct public fundings for elections. In UK there are provisions for partial funding of parties each year on the basis of their representation, in Germany and Australia and a few other countries there are provisions for varying degrees of State funding of polls. Tax exemptions are unheard of in any country.
Corporate houses:
Corporate Donations should be prohibited, quid-pro-quos and conflicts of interest shunned. Only individual party-members may contribute with their PAN and Aadhaar Cards.
Criminalisation of political representation; 34% of our total number of MPs reportedly have criminal cases against them and 16% of them have heinous cases hanging. The percentages are on a steady growth-path. The Supreme Court had asked the Union Government last September, to bring a law to weed out criminals from elections.
The Court ordered political parties to name and shame all criminal activities of its candidates on the web and on the electronic media. Nothing has happened – the EC remains a silent onlooker!
Campaign promises and manifestoes:
Manifestoes should be scrutinised by the EC before accepting nominations – for example if a party promises Rs 3.6 lakh crore under a certain scheme on poverty alleviation and with deficits already of Rs 7 lakh crore, don’t I, as a tax payer, have a right to know whether I should budget more tax outgo, before I vote?
Eligibility and conduct of candidates:
Just examine this in context of a New India 2022: 66% of our representatives are just graduates or under; 72% of voters are under 40 whereas a slender 13% of representatives belong to that age-group; one MP has just 11% attendance; one MP has been elected to the Lok Sabha for nine consecutive terms. Candidates freely contest from two constituencies together. A sitting minister in Goa, party-hopped three times in four terms and a past one carries the dubious distinction of being a minister in every government regardless of who runs it! The less I speak of compliance with the model code of conduct, the better. From the very top to the bottom, you see candidates openly bartering valour of our armed forces for votes, shameless expletives and communalism having a free run. I think the EC has enough powers under Article 324 of the Constitution already, why do they stop at “recording displeasures”?
(Fortunately, it did come out recently and stayed a certain bio-pic which was proudly touted “to influence voters”!)
Lastly, does all this look wholesome and healthy for a New India? Do we expect the New India 2022 from a 70 year-old system? What we actually need is a set of thorough 2nd generation electoral reforms! In this, each of us have a role to play and not leave it again to the same system – it’s “conflict of interest”!
(Binayak Datta is a Finance Professional and has been Company Director and CFO in large MNCs.)
