Whispers Forum

Lok sabha polls are due early next year. The practice of distributing freebies gathers momentum close to elections to States assemblies and Lok Sabha. The freebies, as integral part of Indian politics, have destroyed the basic foundation of the country. One wonders whether such unethical practices exist in other democracies. India stands out differently in breaking all records of malpractices. Allurements like TV sets, bicycles, sewing machines, currency notes tucked inside saris, free electricity, loan waivers etc are distributed liberally before elections. These cause massive burden on public exchequer besides widening the rich-poor divide. These are electoral frauds. The top Judiciary and the Election commission remain tight-lipped, mutely watching the quid pro quo. They are expected to be pro-active and independent in their outlook and actions. Why can't they have guts to declare freebies as bribery and lay down strict rules to punish both the bribe givers and the bribe takers? Let us not fool ourselves by expecting reformatory initiatives by the political class. They have vested interests. It may be noted that such reforms do not require legislative sanctions. The elections must be held in a fair and transparent manner. The issues like the electoral bonds and replacing EVM by ballot papers, must be settled swiftly by the Supreme court.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet has undergone a long-awaited expansion. During this restructuring, several ministers aligned with Scindia have failed to get a berth in the cabinet. The current cabinet reflects a decrease in the representation of ministers supportive of Scindia compared to the previous cabinet. This time, only three MLAs supporting Jyotiraditya Scindia have been appointed as ministers. This has led to the perception that the influence of Scindia supporters in the cabinet will be diminished compared to the previous government, where more than 10 ministers supporting Scindia were included. Notably, Prabhuram Chaudhary, Brijendra Singh Yadav, and Hardeep Singh Dang were unsuccessful in securing positions in the cabinet this time.
Yogesh Mathur

Strange developments are taking place in the country. Mass suspension of 146 Lok sabha / Rajya sabha MPs, is indefensible and unprecedented. An attempt to make the Sansad ' Vipaksh- mukt ', is a threat to democracy. The role of opposition is indispensable. But, acts like storming the well of the house and the walk-outs are not justifiable. Worse, the mimicry outside the Parliament house are unbecoming conduct, least expected from the elected representatives. Waste of public time. The blame squarely lies with the ruling dispensation as much as the opposition. Both are victims of increasing intolerance. The Indian citizens are not impressed by endless discourses on constitutional morality and political squabbling. But, one is surely disturbed when crucial bills like the three Criminal code bills, the Telecommunication bill and the bill to regulate the appointment of CEC and ECs, are passed in the Parliament in quick succession without debates. One hopes, good sense prevails and the situation normalises soon.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

The Opposition parties shot themselves in the foot by disrespectful behavior in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. A look at behaviour of our forefathers since 1947 is instructive and inspiring. No placards were allowed in Parliament and MPs knew the rules perfectly. All members of Parliament observed the rules and maintained decorum. Everybody ensured that rules were followed to the last minute as per Conduct Rules. During former PM Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, his party held a huge majority of 403 LS seats. Nobody in Opposition parties then behaved in an ill-disciplined manner. Currently the Opposite is true, so why this uncouth behaviour? What is good for the Swan is good for the Gander. As for demeaning the Vice President of India and Speaker of Rajya Sabha, using unparliamentary mimicry and personal insults, the people of India have watched in total shock on TV and other media channels. This conduct behaves badly for the Opposition parties. Loud murmurs are already being voiced across Bharat. The response from the people will soon be evident in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Devindra Sethi

En bloc suspension of MPs of both Houses of Parliament in the ongoing winter session of Parliament raises doubts on its intentions. Showing placards, going to the Well of Houses and demanding adjournment motions are standard practices of opposition members and has been acknowledged as convention per se. To get rid of such practices will be only wishful thinking. Secondly, whether the Bills passed without participation of opposition benches will carry any sanctity in the eyes of the general public even though as per parliament procedures, nothing wrong can be attributed. This opposition -treasury standoff is not good for parliamentary democracy. Mutual respect for each other is the hallmark of healthy democracy. Showing eye ball to eye ball to each other is a battlefield language of armed forces for their enemies and it has no place in Parliament. The onus of reestablishing participative democracy now lies with the voters of 2024. Hope, the voters will give a second thought to brute majority vis a vis opposition mukt Parliament.
Raj Kumar Thakur

Crucial I.N.D.I.A. Alliance meeting is scheduled to be held on 19 Dec. But Congress can get fewer seats in some states especially after its dismal performance in 3 state assembly polls. In Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest number of Lok Sabha members, Congress will ask for at least 22 seats, but the Samajwadi Party can offer only 7-8 seats. In Maharashtra, due to the Shiv Sena and NCP split, Congress expects more seats, but Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar aim to contest all seats, creating potential controversies in some states. Although the Alliance has not experienced any substantial controversies thus far, some leaders within the Alliance have made statements against other coalition parties, sparking discussions in political circles. Prominent figures such as Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress leader Kamal Nath have been part of these discussions.
Ritika Malviya

Congress has taken a big decision in the state. Handing over the leadership to the young generation, the party has made Jitu Patwari the State Congress President, Umang Singhar as the Leader of Opposition and Hemant Katare as the Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly. All these three leaders are below 50 years of age. Hemant Katare is only 38 years old. Both leaders Jitu Patwari and Umang Singhar are directly connected to Rahul Gandhi. So it is expected that the young leaders will remain more active on ground. But it remains to be seen if things will actually change on ground. With only 4 months in LS polls, the youth leaders don’t have much time. Besides, Patwari faces a double challenge as he lost the assembly election and must now win in the LS election.
Neha Singh

Prime Minister Modi not only knows the pulse of the people but polishes the raw diamond idea of Congress and Rahul Gandhi and finishes it on into fine cut diamonds and puts it for BJP victory crown. It was Rahul Gandhi who preached OBC politics without practicing it and considering OBC, SC and ST for any crucial Rajya Sabha seats or CM candidates or crucial party positions but Prime Minister Modi ensured maximum representation to these communities and got electoral benefits. Congress seems to have lost sight of things to come and are 10 years behind BJP in hard work, political strategy and giving retirement to old guards.
S C Saboo