Bribing The Voters

Retired Chief Election Commissioner , S Y Quraishi , is all set to release his book ,

"  The Undocumented Wonder : The Making of the Great Indian Election "

Talking to DNA ( 15 April 2014 ) he listed some 40 different ways in which , Political Parties try to bribe voters

Some of these are :

>   Cash

>   Depositing money in voter's bank account

>   Liquor Bottles

>  LPG Cylinders

>  Free Rice / Food Packets

>  Payments of Electricity / Water Bills

>  Mass Feasts

>  Screening of films

>  Laptops / Tablets

>  Bicycles

>  Mangal Sutras

>  Gold Coins

>  Buffalos

>  Colour TV

>  Mixer - Grinder

>  Unemployment Allowance

>  Waiver of loans

>  Free Houses ......etc

Political Parties are happy that Mr Quarishi , being an honest / straight forward person , could imagine only 10 % of  the ways of bribing voters  !

And who cares that the EC has managed to seize a meager Rs 300 crores worth of cash so far during the current season , when all of the Rs 40,000 Crores worth of black money ( @ Rs 5 crores per candidate * 8,000 candidates ) , has escaped un-noticed ( looking other way ? ) by ,

>  Income Tax Department

>  Enforcement Directorate

>  CAG / CVC

>  Election Commission.....etc

Even the almighty Supreme Court seemed helpless , when it held recently :

"  Although promises of distribution of freebies may not technically constitute  corrupt practice , under the Representation of People Act , they vitiate the electoral process by influencing voters and disturbing the level playing between contesting parties "

And since there is no difference of opinion between the political parties when it comes to exploiting the poverty of 400 million BPL ( Below the Poverty Line ) voters , I would not be surprised if the next government at the Centre , introduces a  ,

 "  Bribe ( given ) Politically ( is ) Legal ( BPL ) Bill "

 in the very first session of 16th Lok Sabha  !

Expect it to be passed unanimously - and without a debate  !

Political parties are firm believer of what Kaushik Basu ( onetime advisor to PM ) once said ( - although in a different context ) ,

"  Giving bribe must not be treated as crime

   Ordinary citizens are forced to give bribes when they are denied , service that is legitimately due to them

If they are held innocent , they will come forward and report all instances when they were forced to bribe bureaucrats

Only bribe-takers must be punished  "

*  hemen parekh  (  28 April 2014 / Mumbai  )