As the Common Wealth Games began in Delhi this October, in Karnataka another variety of this wealth games of money politics (involving all major political parties) has been going on ever since. The Radia tapes has brought out in the open the role of major corporate companies, media, lobbyist, bureaucrats & not to forget the corrupt Indian politicians in shaping national policies in favor of the corporate companies. All this has brought about a sense of disgust among the ordinary people. All the different sections of the capitalist classes today stand exposed.
The so called ‘party with a difference’ Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka which claimed to be different from other corrupt political parties here has shown its true colors in just two & a half years of power. The fact that many of the members of the BJP are proud of their RSS background (which always used to swear by patriotism, discipline etc), but it is an open secret today that many among them are hoarding black money.
During the 2008 Karnataka Assembly election, the BJP made the ‘political betrayal’ (vachana brasta) of Janata Dal (Secular) – JD(S) the main plank of its election campaign, which caught the sympathy of the people. But today people have lost faith in the BJP (a popular euphemism of the BJP today is Brasta Janara Party – Corrupt People’s Party). Leaving aside all talk of the BJP running a corruption free government, the entire government from the Chief Minister downwards is today implicated in corruption. Casteism, communalism or looting of natural resources like iron ore in Bellary, the government is continuing to shamelessly cling on to power. Whether it is Land denotification scam or the series of corruption involving BJP ministers, it has been proven beyond doubt that BJP is no different from any other corrupt political party.
In the first few months of this year, unable to tolerate the corruption by the BJP government, independent government anti corruption monitoring body – the Lokayukta (ombudsman) chief Santosh Hegde offered his resignation but later retracted from his threat.
In the last few decades unable to win on its own, by bidding its time the BJP used coalition politics to finally win power, but the sort of low politics it is engaged today is unprecedented in national politics. Whether it was the hijack drama of 40 legislators last year or the current disqualified legislators story, it has crossed all limits. Despite coming out unscathed each time, but each victory has proven to be short lived for the BJP.
Congress, BJP, JD(S) or any other parties of the capitalist – landlordist classes have no differences as far as the social & economic policies are concerned. Allegation & counter allegations leveled at each other are becoming news whereas hunger, unemployment or ill health that is affecting the majority in the state are finding no space in politics at all. Rebellions within parties or hip hopping of legislators from one party to another, only constitute a staple diet for ‘Breaking News’ culture of the reactionary media. While it is system based on capitalism which is blame for all this, but what is yet to appear on the horizon is a genuine alternative to replace capitalism.
All elected MP’s, MLA’s, Corporators should receive the same remuneration equivalent to national minimum wage.
Right to recall all elected representatives
Choice of rejecting candidates should be available in the elections.
Reject all corrupt capitalist political parties, build a genuine mass political alternative.
Vishwa, Bangalore (Translated from Dudiyora Horaata Nov-Dec Issue 2010)