October 2013
It was a day of justice
when Lalu Yadav was, finally, jailed for his involvement in the multi-billion Rs.
Fodder Scam of Bihar by a Ranchi
court. The once undisputed king of Bihar
politics and a central figure in the national politics is behind bars now.
But if we go by the
post-sentencing analyses and if the words come out to be true, it sounds the ‘justice’
delivered was the villain and the convicted was the victim. It is worrying for
Indian democracy. Let’s see what some of the headlines said:
Sympathy will help RJD regain
power - The Pioneer
Arrest injects blood in RJD -
The Telegraph
Jailed for five years in
fodder scam, Lalu still a factor in Bihar
Lalu Prasad Yadav will bounce
back: RJD leaders
Lalu's traditional vote bank
unlikely to erode
Fearing political loss,
parties refuse comment on Lalu Prasad's verdict
Lalu sent to jail: Chhapra
seethes, Gopalganj sees conspiracy
Jailed Lalu Prasad's aura
still works for RJD
To write off Lalu as a
politician would be a little premature
Ever since his debacles in
elections, assembly and parliamentary, Lalu’s political obituary has been a
matter of routine discussion. Okay, no one was writing him off in certain terms
but certainly, no one was expecting a miraculous turnaround. And now we are
talking of a turnaround, in windfall terms!
Bihar had become the worst place
in India
to live during the 15 years of Lalu-Rabri regime. Corruption, nepotism and Yadavs
ruled Bihar with iron grip. This Fodder Scam
is just one representative of what the Lalu-Rabri regime made of Bihar .
In spite of the strong caste and
religious equations, if he was routed (in fact decimated by the poll ‘numbers’)
in elections, it could easily be understood that the electorate, including his
loyal votebank, recognized the corruption and the governance failure of his
regime.
But now, if that votebank, many
of which voted against Lalu on corruption and governance issues, go back to
Lalu again just because they sympathise with him for he has been jailed, it
would indeed be ridiculous and pathetic for the democratic health of Bihar and of
country.
An analysis in The Telegraph
says: What appears to have galvanised the RJD cadre is the “recognition” of
an undercurrent of sympathy for Lalu — particularly among Yadav and Muslim
voters — after the court sent him to jail. Contrary to the ruling JD(U) strategists’
calculation that the RJD flock would be up for grabs once their boss goes
behind bars, Lalu’s party is increasingly getting united.
If it indeed happens, if the
sentencing helps Lalu to reclaim the lost political ground, it would be yet
another sad chapter in the history of India , already reeling under the
political subversion by its ‘ruling’ masters.
17 years of court proceedings,
many cover-ups, and the post-sentencing buzzword says Lalu may bounce back politically
with this decision! Shouldn’t that be shocking?
What does it tell of the Indian populace? The rot is deep. Politicians work to deepen this rot.
Sympathy for being in jail!
Sympathy for being convicted in a corruption case, even if more Fodder Scam cases
are pending against him in courts at various stages!
Politicians exploit this
irresponsible, impulsive behaviour of Indian voters. They do so because we act
as their ‘more than willing’ partners when they do so.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
*“Why democracy in India is in imminent danger of disintegration?’ is a regular column on my blogging platforms to take a periodic look (say a weekly or a fortnightly or a monthly round-up of events depending on the factors in play) on political developments that are dangerous to the democratic health of the country and contribute to the process of social disintegration of the nation..”
