Cases against politicians be tried in fast-track courts:TMC MP

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he also demanded that the government not allow anyone except President and Prime Minister to use 'power symbols' like the beacon lights or other privileges.

"The need of the hour is to recognize that somewhere we have failed to live up to the expectations of the founding fathers of our great democracy...We need to clean up our own house, the legislature. As per available information, there are many legislators with serious criminal records.

"Their cases should be tried by fast-track courts so that either they are acquitted if proven not guilty, or convicted, as there is no place for a single legislator with a criminal record to be either in Assembly or Parliament," he said.

Referring to the recent gangrape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old girl, who died last month, he said such incidents appear to be just the tip of the iceberg, as there must be innumerable unreported incidences of sexual harassment be it at workplace, home or even in religious organisations.

"Crime is on the rise and I can say with a lot of concern that if this continues without immediate check, then we could lose the very essence of democracy. To my mind, these incidences are just the symptoms of a cancer which is taking deep roots in India," he said.

"We should come together and seriously introspect to find solutions rather than apportion blame," he said.

Trivedi said it is of utmost importance that Parliament should function the way it is supposed to, without acrimony.

Unfortunately, he said, Parliament is getting reduced to a "mockery and hooliganism" and the Speaker is "virtually terrorised".

"The politicians today appear to be serving their political parties first rather than the nation; their priority must be country first. I strongly feel a legislator must take an oath of allegiance first to the country along with the Constitution before entering Parliament or Legislative Assembly," the former Railway Minister said. (More)