Long ago there was a very popular hindi movie song in which the singer says “ kitana badala gaya insan†– means how much human beings have changed!. He goes on to sing, “ Suraj na badala, chand na badala, na badala ye aasman†– means, neither the sun, nor the moon or even the sky has not changed but human beings have drastically changed. This song I remember when I see the present day people’s representatives. There was a time when they had dedicated themselves to the service of the people without caring for their own welfare or for financial benefit. Their financial status never changed at the end of their term. Perhaps they used to become poorer than what they were when they were elected.
I knew of a member of the parliament who used to be an Advocate, who lost not only his professional work but also his vast clientele and was reduced to penury when he retired as a Member of Parliament. I saw him being dispossessed from his rented house as he could not pay the rent with the little pension he was getting.. I am quite certain that he was not an exception in those days, he was the rule. I remember when another Advocate was asked to contest the election, he refused to be drawn into politics like the ‘cat of Tenali Ramakrishna’. Tenali Ramakrishna was a Court Jester in the kingdom of Krishna Devaraya, a King who built Vijaya Nagar Empire. The story says that though cats like to drink milk, Tenali Ramakrishna’s Cat would run away when it was given milk to drink, because on the first occasion when milk was offered, it was boiling hot. The cat when made an attempt to drink, it burnt it’s tongue. Seeing the plight of politicians, people were not willing to enter politics. They had to be coaxed to become members of these elected bodies. They were afraid that membership of any elected body would ruin their life including family life. In those days people who are respected in the society alone used to contest because his reputation was his asset.
But sometime after 1970s or so, the image of the representatives changed from that of people’s servant to that of people’s master. It was Mrs. Indira Gandhi who wanted the elected representatives to dedicate themselves to the cause of the people. She said that they should do field work and should be with the people and help the people to get the benefits which the Government extended for their advancement and welfare. This call enabled the representatives to become voter ‘friendly’. They would assist the people to get their work done with the government or wherever they could dictate terms. People started approaching them from water connection to ration card. In fact, this was a welcome suggestion of Mrs. Gandhi. She had made that suggestion with good intentions. But this was misused by the politicians. First people were giving some simple gifts to show their appreciation for the help rendered by them. I know in a case where a packet of cashew nuts was given to a M.L.A.for getting a seat in an engineering college! Now it is impossible to believe. But it is true.
As time rolled by, giving of gifts became part of the service rendered by the politician. From gifts to cash etc. This practice brought wealth to these politicians. Thus politics became a profession. I had heard one illiterate old woman telling me when I asked her the avocation of her son. She said her son tried to get some work but since he did not succeed, he had ‘joined’ politics. That is how we find there is a mad rush of candidates now. The people’s needs are increasing day by day. The bureaucracy has become corrupt and lethargic. The people are in a hurry to improve their living condition. Hence people have started depending more and more on politicians so that, through their influence, they can get their work done faster.
To be a politician no qualification is needed. The politicians should know to wield their power. The more heartless one is more influence he can exercise. This brings him more wealth. With money power, in a land where nearly 40% of the population is ‘below poverty line’ they can get anything done though uncouth methods. Educated and highly qualified people cannot get into politics because their nature may not allow them to stoop to such level. That is how we find rough and tough people get into politics. They can get votes and outsmart their rivals. The representatives know that at the end of the term, their lifestyle would change and they would get respect from the people as also from the administrators. This happens whether he has any qualification or not. The net result is that good people shy away from politics yielding place to corrupt. One can only lament and say “ Kitana badala gaya insan†in the land of Gandhi.
( cartoon is a reproduction from a blog)