TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2024
Team Herald
Panjim: With a proliferation of defectors in the run up to the February 14 Goa Assembly Election, candidates with criminal records and those with corruption charges against them, the question which is hanging like a Damocles’ sword over the very fabric of democracy this election is – do candidates have a choice?
There may be a perception that there is no choice due to criminalization of politics, but this is not true. The voters in Goa Elections 2022 have a clear choice between those with criminal record and clean candidates. There are enough candidates with clean record, Gaurav Bakshi, Actor and Founder HelpdesQ told Herald TV.
“Only the voters have to be informed so that they can make an informed choice. Hence we have created a petition on Change.org to clean up Goa polls. We want that the words ‘candidate with criminal record’ be plastered over all publicity material used by the candidate, Bakshi said.
With 11 out of 40 candidates (27%) in the fray, it is extremely disappointing that this kind of leadership or so called leadership is leading us. The number of candidates with criminal background has doubled from 2007 to 2017. Are we moving towards a criminal society? If criminals are elected, they will ensure that crime flourishes. They will not think of decreasing crime, they will only think of increasing it, Bakshi claimed.
Despite the Supreme Court direction to the Election Commission and the EC issuing directions to political parties to field clean candidates, parties in Goa have fielded nine candidates with serious criminal cases. Reacting to this decision of the political parties, Bakshi said, the wellbeing of the nation, society and citizens is certainly not the priority of political parties. They think of short term benefits by using money and muscle power of such individuals for gaining power.
“These are short term gains with disastrous consequences. This can lead to crumbling of society. Are we moving towards a society such as Colombia?....and this is not exaggerated. Pablo Escobar (the drug lord) infiltrated through every layer of govt to the point that he became so arrogant and blatant, that he broke through the treasury and even attacked and destroyed an airplane. He even killed several politicians and finally karma caught up with him and he was shot dead,” Bakshi recounted.
Goa is in many ways heading in this direction and we need to be extremely cautious and realize and know that it’s our children who will face the consequences of such individuals coming to power.
The nature of the criminal charges are serious –rape, confinement of a minor, attacking a police station, murder….these are serious charges, Bakshi pointed out. “The consequences of electing candidates with criminal background are serious, given the repeat criminal history of candidates. We don’t expect them to create a beautiful atmosphere. No citizen would want such candidates to enter their homes,” Bakshi quipped.
When it was pointed out that such candidates are deeply entrenched with money and muscle power and have made voters so dependent on them that it is difficult for voters to overcome them, Bakshi underscored that these freebies are insignificant. He said people line out outside the MLAs home every week to collect money for education etc but major promises, such as free houses, are being dished out for the last 15 years.
“Let us realize the manipulation that is happening. Ultimately it is short term gain and forfeiting one’s future,” Bakshi said, adding, “Given that such candidates do not have party loyalties either and still parties field them, parties should realize that citizens are not fools.”
Parties have to make a clear decision and figure out a way of thrashing this issue out in Parliament or the Assembly and come to some agreement on this. We want to live in a clean environment with honest people and give our best in life, to the nation and for ourselves.
Parties have a conflict of interest when it comes to keeping out criminals. We cannot depend on them. That is why we launched the petition to clean up politics and to add to the Supreme Court direction to the Election Commission. Apart from this public pressure and civil service organizations are doing a great job. Courts are also trying to come in. Lots more needs to be done to see that criminals are completely wiped out, Bakshi said.
Goa Assembly Elections 2022 can be the beginning of the exercise to clean up politics. Every voter has to cross his or her heart and decide not to fall for freebies and not to sell their vote and their freedom, to those with money and muscle power. Every voter must decide to clean up politics and vote for clean candidates beginning February 14.
