For
most lawmakers, money is not key mover: Times of India
New
Delhi, July 17: Facing the charge that pelf determines their
conduct, Indian lawmakers have argued that a minority of non-serious
middlemen doubling as politicians bank on such practices.
They,
however, admit that the JMM bribery case, which established
that money was paid to five MPs to buy their support for a
government, remains the biggest blot on the conduct of lawmakers.
Apart
from the JMM case, they said, money power has never been a
key mover, even in the case of smaller parties and Independents,
guiding their decision to support or oppose a government during
trust vote.
The
issue is raging as MPs from some smaller parties have carried
on prolonged negotiations with either side in the Lok Sabha
for finalising their stand during the vote of confidence slated
for July 22.
A
senior politician said most MPs, instead, could be really
concerned about their prospects as elections are approaching
and this might determine which side they consider more beneficial
to support.
"The
kind of money being said to be on offer is outrageous. I have
given 34 years to parliamentary politics and I can say with
some authority that this is a cock and bull story. Some MPs
play to the gallery and media hungrily grabs such gossip,"
he said.
Another
MP said the overwhelming majority in Parliament was of conscientious
people, although he admitted that the situation could be different
in some of the states. "There could be one or two dirty
fish in the pond, acting at the behest of their leaders. But
they will not survive in national politics for long. They
will soon be forced to operate on the fringes," he added.
The
most dramatic trial of strength that Lok Sabha has ever seen
was the defeat of 13-month-old Atal Bihari Vajpayee government
by a single vote.
The
MP said this only displayed the strength of Indian democracy
because if money were so important and the practice in vogue,
the government could have easily "bought" a couple
of MPs to its side. It was true also of almost every other
government that was voted out of office, whether led by V
P Singh, Chandra Shekhar, H D Deve Gowda or I K Gujral.
"Plain
politics, especially the stand of bigger parties like Congress
and BJP, was the determining factor, not money power or protection
of some corporate interest," he said.
Another
politician said the conduct of the majority matters the most
in a democracy and the bulk of parliamentarians are accountable
because millions of people closely monitor their behaviour.
"Those who break the rules of integrity are invariably
taken to task by the people, even if some among them manage
to win a second term. It is easy to paint the politicians
black even when only some of them indulge in questionable
practices," he said.
Bureau
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