E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Is There an Alternative to… 173work, character or integrity, became less important than (a)loyalty to the leader, (b) the capacity to get elected whether ornot one was acceptable to the local unit of the party or thepeople in the area, and (c) access to money and the ability tomobilise even anti-social forces to ensure victory at the polls.The consequence was the entry or induction of a new kind ofpolitician who had no ideology other than the pursuit of power,who desired to secure and retain power at any cost. This meantreadiness to use money and terror, to resort to any means thatsecured the desired result-impersonation, booth capture,terrorisation of voters and presiding officers, stealing of ballotboxes, assassination of rival candidates or their workers, andthreats of retribution or massacre alter the polls, and so on. It isobvious that those who can get such things done havethemselves to be persons with money and muscle power orpersons who can depend on the full-scale cooperation of antisocialelements who control money and muscle power. Thushas come into being a formidable combination of three forces— those who seek political power and the wealth and privilegesthat it brings; those who can find the Iakhs or crores of rupeesthat each candidate needs to get elected; and those who canphysically deliver the votes needed for victory,—a combinationthat threatens to prove fatal to our democratic system.Today, we find that a Chief Minister can openly declarethat he would see that no candidate other than the one of hisparty would be declared elected anywhere in his State.When candidates need crores of rupees, parties have toraise the money through misuse of government machinery orby depending on those who have amassed black money throughillegal operations, including smuggling. Those who make suchmoney available have their own demands or expectations. Theymay be crude or refined in demanding amenability, immunityor the freedom to expand their empires. Money can buy tickets;