The clock is ticking
In a democracy where money and muscle power are the sine qua non for winning elections, it remains to be seen what political parties will now do in the backdrop of the Supreme Court of India’s directive and warning (Page 1, “Parties get 48 hours to publish candidates’ criminal records”, August 11). Suppose the criminal record of a contesting candidate is made public. Will voters be stumped and have little choice? What if all the fielded candidates are in the same league? For any political party to scout around for a candidate with an unblemished record is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Deepak Singhal,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
One cannot help wondering whether merely providing information on criminality or corruption will still play any significant role in the electoral process in India. It is apparent, going by the antecedents of a majority of lawmakers, that it is almost a non issue, where caste, communal or emotional issues play the deciding factor in the ultimate success of candidates in most of the cases.
Under such circumstances, such data would remain a cosmetic exercise. Candidates are seldom scared of these negative factors, as courts across India take decades to nail defaulters. Unless the judiciary fast-tracks criminal or corruption cases and brings them to a logical conclusion, candidates and parties would continue to take shelter under the pretext that ‘no one is guilty unless proved so’. Moreover, our rural population, which outnumbers urban elites in casting votes, is not that techno-savvy to research the credentials of candidates.
V. Subramanian,
Chennai
The Supreme Court’s exasperation over the failure of political parties to weed out criminals from electoral politics is only natural. Winnability seems to be the clinching factor in the selection of contestants. It is time that parties stopped delivering sermons from the rooftops about democracy and morality in politics. The onus is on the key political parties not to touch criminals trying to enter politics, and to lead by example. Now that the Court has set the stopwatch, can we hope that political parties will not try to find ways and means to circumvent this direction? When will it be possible for India to prevent ‘lawbreakers’ from becoming lawmakers? The electorate needs to play a proactive role in this matter.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Malippara, Kothamangalam, Kerala
States and ranking
No State, whether it is Uttar Pradesh or Kerala, can score a perfect 10 on the governance scorecard (Editorial page, “The construct behind the ‘Shining U.P.’ card”, August 11). There is no such thing as a ‘number one State’ in the absolute sense. Varied metrics underpin the composite record of governance. For historical, cultural, and socio-political reasons, States perform differently under the metrics.
Kerala scored high on human development but its economy is not self-sufficient to provide jobs to its people, forcing job-seekers to migrate to other States and countries.
Uttar Pradesh has a long way to go in ensuring social development. At the same time, the Yogi Adityanath government has succeeded in curbing the State’s chronic lawlessness. Preserving communal peace and initiating job-oriented and massive infrastructural development are other achievements. Discrediting the election-oriented ‘Shining U.P.’ campaign is no reason why we should ignore the positives.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Most of the claims about Uttar Pradesh fall under one of the following categories: myth, fiction, fabrication and propaganda. Readers can make their choice. The fact is that in the State there has been a suppression of COVID-19 death numbers, journalists have been harassed for doing their job, and that women are unsafe is not something to be proud of. Finally, the visuals of many bodies floating down the Ganga are an indelible mark.
Matthew Adukanil,
Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu
