Home > News > The great Indian political bazaar

The great Indian political bazaar

25 July 2008

India is still reeling from the experience some called the “great Indian political bazaar”, following a confidence vote on July 22. Disagreement between the ruling party and the opposition over an Indo-US nuclear deal came to a head when the latter withdrew its support to the government. The government stood its ground and called for a confidence vote.

The weeks leading into the confidence vote had seen a flurry of media speculation amidst allegations and counter allegations, most glaringly of horse-trading. In a desperate attempt to secure votes, the government renamed an airport after the father of an MP whose vote was sought in return. The opposition, equally desperate, airlifted an MP with broken bones to Delhi but stopped short of summoning another MP who lay in hospital suffering lung cancer.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who commanded 10 MPs’ votes, stole the limelight. The opposition, for whom she had pledged her support, called her “would-be Prime Minister” and extolled every conceivable virtue in her. The ruling party, rummaging through her short political history, pulled on every loose end. All the while, reports of huge sums of money flowing across the corridors of power abounded, and the media were quick to dub it “the Indian MP bazaar”.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, known to be media-shy and unassertive, was uncharacteristically all victory signs before the camera the day before the vote.

Then the D-day came. The debate in the Lok Sabha before the trust vote unfolded a great acrimonious drama. Every sentence from an MP was greeted by boos, barks, and rants. The speaker admonitioned repeatedly: Silence please! A TV channel covering the proceedings live called the parliament “a fish market.” The session is adjourned. The opposition leader, L K Advani, breathes fire on the Prime Minister saying he is the “weakest prime minister India has ever seen.” The opposition MPs, buoyed by their leader’s scathing attacks on their rivals, are visibly excited.

Rahul Gandhi, who wants to speak “not as a member of a political party but as an Indian,” starts his speech by narrating a story of two poor women whose travails might be overcome by the nuclear deal. His speech meets repeated interruptions punctuated by the Speaker’s pleas. Another adjournment ensued.

The wrangling and pandemonium is interjected with comic relief when Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav extolled a full-throttle speech that sends the members into peels of laugher. At Hindustan Times office, an editor glued to the TV remarked – “Laluism works best in Indian politics.” Before the vote, it is the Prime Minister’s turn to speak. His speech, which is booed down and forced to be tabled, is loaded with the strongest terms against the opposition leader. He says, “To fulfil his ambitions, he has made at least three attempts to topple our government. But on each occasion his astrologers have misled him. This pattern, I am sure, will be repeated today. At his ripe old age, I do not expect Shri Advani to change his thinking. But for his sake and India’s sake, I urge him at least to change his astrologers so that he gets more accurate predictions of things to come.”

The drama is back, though. And climax. Even as the Deputy Speaker is repeatedly telling an MP to stop his speech, three BJP MPs rush towards him with a black leather bag, unzip it and brandish wads of cash, shouting, “This is the advance that was paid to a BJP MP to abstain him from voting.” A moment later, Lok Sabha TV channel, a state-run channel, that is airing the proceedings live goes without sound, and then without pictures.

Instead, Mother Teresa flashes on the screen. “Maybe time for spiritual relief now,” someone observes. The drama intensifies. The voting goes ahead, though. It is Dr Manmohan Singh’s day. Ironically, there are fewer victory signs from him now. Abstentions and cross-voting by the opposition MPs saved the government. The opposition, accusing the government of bribery, claimed moral victory. The great drama is over, but the epilogue is only unfolding.

One day after the vote, the opposition parties expelled 12 of their MPs for cross-voting and abstentions, among them Speaker Somnath Chatterji. The Samajwadi Party will be moving a breach of privilege against three BJP MPs for tarnishing their image by showing “bribe money” in the parliament.

The intriguing drama of the biggest democracy in the world is all set to continue.

By Needrup Zangpo in New Delhi

Ratings: 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
Loading ... Loading ...
Email this page Email this page     Print this page Print this page    

Posted by Bhutan Observer · Filed Under News 

Comments

One Response to “The great Indian political bazaar”

  1. M.K.Pailang on July 31st, 2008 8:39 pm

    Sir/Madam,
    Here I just would like to request you the media that, whenever we post an article on public issues, we think it will get reflected. But it never happened for past many times. Instead it is being heard and knew that the same articles were droped to the concerned authorities. I personaly, feel that the media is not doing its duty. If a media cannot publish the views, thoughts and feelings of the people then it is of useless in this democratic world and country too.
    No one will object the media from the public issues. It is duty of media to creat the transparency of government and people. We want very effective and truthful media in the country.

Leave your comment





Note: Comments are moderated by Bhutan Observer, and may not appear until they have been reviewed and deemed appropriate for posting.

Bhutan Observer is Digg proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache