Encashing democracy

Cash for votes and votes for cash

The arrest of Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh for his alleged involvement in the “cash-for-votes” scam of 2008 has once again drawn attention to the role of money in Indian politics. Paying cash for votes is an old and widespread malaise. There are several levels at which money enters the political process. The lowest, rather simplest, form of such corruption is when candidates contesting elections offer cash incentives to voters. The next level is when candidates offer money to political parties, or influential individuals involved in ticket distribution, to secure nomination. The third level is when an elected legislator offers cash to party bigwigs to buy a berth in the council of ministers. Then there is the cash that legislators earn by asking questions on behalf of various interested parties or by writing letters of recommendation or complaint to government functionaries or others willing to be influenced by such requests. Some of these payments are small change, others hefty sums. Securing a berth in the Rajya Sabha is one of the more expensive things. Political gossip suggests that it used to cost much less before Rajya Sabha MPs started getting important portfolios! In this bazaar of political give and take rarely does anyone get caught. Which is why no member of Parliament has actually been arrested till now on such a charge. Technology has made it possible to organise sting operations and secret recordings which now make it easier to nail someone culpable. Amar Singh’s incarceration has set a precedent. It must be added, however, that Mr Singh’s culpability has yet to be established in a court of law. Many politicians have been vocal in their condemnation of Mr Singh, but few of them can honestly say that they have not been guilty of using money in one of the forms mentioned above.

While the law will take its course in this case, it is necessary to examine to what extent the charges against Mr Singh taint the vote of confidence of 2008. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Front have said that this “cash for votes” scam makes the July 2008 Lok Sabha vote suspect. This is not necessarily true. The fact remains that less than a handful of MPs have been shown to be involved in this scam, and even here the evidence is not yet clinching. On the other hand, the ruling coalition won with a margin of 17 votes, with 275 votes in favour of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and 256 votes against it. Also, no political party was ready to face the polls at that time and most opposition parties were complicit in the government’s victory. So though the “cash-for-votes” sting was staged to embarrass the government, it is still not clear how tainted UPA’s victory was.