Amrit Kal, right time for manthan on political reforms

Politics is seen as a filthy business keeping the honest people away from it. It is time we facilitated ease-of-joining politics on the lines of ease-of-doing business for startups. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the ball when he said that a strong government does not control everything. A strong government, he said, controls the system's impulse to interfere. A strong government is not restrictive, but is responsive. A strong government does not move into every domain. It limits itself and makes space for people's talents.

Some golden words are spoken at the recent 42nd Convocation of Anna University. What hit me the most was his quotable quote: reforms are making greater space for people and their talent in every space. Successive governments – shall we say eight years ago? – have been talking of lots of reforms including the political spear. But no one has done anything about it though there have been some wise men talking about decoupling politics-crime-police-contractors and of course start cutting the roots of corruption.

The then PM Dr Manmohan Singh once said real estate breeds corruption. He had conveniently forgotten to mention that its politics which provides the spark. Politician-builder nexus is an age-old infamous phenomenon which no leader worth his name wants to touch. Cases, FIRs and ED proceedings have started to impact only politicians of opposition parties.

Looking at my activism, some friends suggested that I should join politics. Recently, some Aam Aadmi Party leaders also insisted that "people like us should join politics and start the process of cleansing". But my family vehemently vetoed the idea. Reason: It's not meant for us. I am sure many more households must be preventing people like me from joining politics because of the filth that it is filled with.

A small case study is: a seemingly ordinary man walking Hawaii chappals and unable to offer even a decent chair for his guests at home suddenly has cars, lavish houses, furniture within days of winning just a civic election.

Let me elaborate: Rajiv Gandhi had said in 1985 that only 15 paise reaches the downtrodden on every rupee that is spent by the government. Taking the analogy forward, I asked a corporator as to how much they get on contracts, 20 per cent? He laughed at me and said 60 per cent of the value is shared by us. Of the remaining 40 per cent, some goes to officers, civic staff and even peons. Then I said, is that one of the reasons for the poor quality of civic works? His response: You got it right.

In short, that was the message my family too got and blocked me from entertaining any idea of joining politics. When I narrated this story to Waterman of India Dr Rajendra Singh, he smiled at me and said: "Good that wiser counsel prevailed! Let us continue the work the way we are doing."

Going back to Modi, didn't he start his political campaign with "Na Khaoonga, Na Khanay Doonga"? He has all the powers on the earth to walk-the-talk. India is the 85 least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. One may question the methodology of these kinds of global rankings, but one cannot deny the fact that we are a corrupt nation.

Indira Gandhi might have said corruption is a global phenomenon, but nobody prevents us from emerging clean. Modi talks about Amrit Kal on every platform that he gets a chance to speak. The mythological background of Amrit is that nectar emerged out of the sea after a Manthan (churning). So, the message from our Puraanas is there is no Amrit without a Manthan. There is no shortcut to Amrit.

Let me contextualise this since many readers may dismiss the mythology as a myth! We all know that the reforms that we have been witnessing since the Rajiv Gandhi-Sam Pitroda days had to face stiff resistance. Come to think of it, even BJP had opposed the tax reforms under the GST head. Now, the Modi government talks of One-Nation-One-Tax.

The PM emphasised at the end of a Lok Sabha debate on the issue that GST "can't be seen as a victory of a party or government, it is a win for the democratic ethos of India and a victory for everyone." Similar approach can and must be taken for political reforms as well.

The government launched Electoral Bonds as means to cut down cash donations to political parties. But the BJP turned out to be the biggest beneficiary of the Bonds as it garnered 75 per cent of the funds. Even in terms of corporate donations, BJP got the maximum share.

Understandable as no one wants to be on the wrong side of the country's most dominant party. Elections are not an ordinary affair. They need lots of funds. A Lok Sabha candidate told me way back in late 1980s that he had to spend Rs 5 crore. That was a lot of money. Obviously that kind of money donated or spent can't be officially accounted for.

Though T N Seshan as the Chief Election Commissioner (1990-96) introduced several reforms, the electoral spend remained an unresolved issue. There was a suggestion to make the Election Commission finance the candidates. Why not? In fact, I would go a step ahead and say that the political donations could be made to the Election Commission's account. These amounts could be tax-free. The ratio and quantum of election commission financing the candidates should be decided through a transparent, public debate. My suggestion to the government is it should appoint a commission headed by a Supreme Court judge on the Election Expense Reforms as the first step to end electoral corruption.

What could be the next steps? Accountability, as the PM himself says. All political parties must come under the purview of the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the greatest instrument that an Indian citizen is empowered with to seek information - but only from the government departments. Private entities and political parties are all out of the RTI Act net. This must be changed and no one should resist the amendment to make RTI Act cover all. Once you know that you are accountable in the public eye and that the RTI information is sacrosanct and can be used for judicial process, you become alert and perform your duty judiciously.

Puns intended! The Prime Minister recalled the words of Swami Vivekananda and said: "the whole world is looking at India's youth with hope. Because you are the growth engines of the country and India is the world's growth engine."

The growth engine is spearheading the startup revolution, success stories in IT, ITES and sports (look at the wealth of medals that the nation won in the Commonwealth games). This is all because there is a level-playing ground everywhere. Can we not have a similar culture of merit and skill-based opportunities for all in politics as well?

Addressing the youth, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana said at a Columbia University event recently: "The 75-year-long journey of my country so far is a testimony to the power of democracy. It is essential that people, particularly the students and youth, realise the importance of democracy. It is only through your active participation that democracy can be sustained and strengthened. Only a true democratic order can be the foundation for lasting peace in the world."

The startup culture ensures ease of doing business. It is time we facilitated ease-of-joining politics.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based media veteran now running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging)