The Malaise of Defections
By Tomazinho Cardozo
In a democratic form of Government the incidence of defection is not uncommon unless the citizens have developed a high degree of political and party integrity. Even in the developed country like United Kingdom men like William Gladstone, Winston Churchill, etc, had crossed the floor.
In our country too there were many incidents of defections engineered by prominent political leaders.
The history of parliamentary democracy in India points at the Congress party for engineering defection of important leaders to its fold in the pre-1967 elections. However, the opposition parties took advantage of the same concept after 1967, in the changed political situation of the country. The defectors were taken in as chief guests; they were purchased at a price they demanded. A new nomenclature of ‘Aya Ram’ and ‘Gaya Ram’ became the common catch word to denote the shameful situation of Indian politics having its direct bearing on the formation, reformation and deformation of Governments in several states. The trend of politics reflected as an arrangement based on alliances in which the defectors played their conspicuous part. Horse trading became the order of the day and defections were secured by dubious means.
The high drama of political defection was again enacted after 1971 Lok Sabha polls and the states Assembly Polls of 1972. Although the incidents of defection went on decreasing at the national level, subsequently the rate of defection went on escalating in different states of this country. Goa, a tiny but a literate state too became the victim of multiple defections. Even today the ghost of defection does hunt the Kamat-led ministry in Goa.
Defections are the product of various socio-political complexes under which we operate and have to be accepted as a hard sociological reality. Condemnation is not going to lead us anywhere. The real cause for wide spread spectacle of defections and counter-defections are historical, institutional and motivational and often a combination of all the three of them.
The root cause perhaps lies in the history and nature of our political parties. The political leaders as well as the voters too are equally responsible for the political mess that we are in today. Some of the important reasons due to which defections happen can be enlisted as follows: Lack of ideological orientation among the political parties; Lack of discipline and cadre base in political parties; Low level popular involvement in the membership and in the activities of the party; Virtual indifference of the people to the acts of defection by their representative; Infighting and factionalism in parties leading to group defections; Denial of Party tickets in the elections; Lack of commitment and sincerity in the programmes of the party; Attitude of independent members in legislatures to trade their position particularly whenever there is unstable majority in the legislature; Clash of personalities among the legislators and their party leaders; Allurement of office, money, status or the denial of the same in their own parties; Disparities in emoluments and status between legislators and Ministers; Operation of powerful lobbies and pressure groups that command the loyalties from legislators; Unwillingness of the ruling parties to share power or to maintain themselves in power at all costs instead of entering into workable coalitions with like-minded parties; Hypocrisy in Indian politics with gullible people and deceitful leaders who preach one thing and practice other; Dismal poverty and illiteracy among the voters particularly in rural villages; Lack of political vision and blurred political ideas among the voters as well as the leaders, etc. Do we observe any change in the functioning of political parties, politicians and voters in this 21st century?
The factor of personal gain has had an effective part in most of defections, which resulted in forming new party allegiances at the cost of values and integrity in politics and public life.
A common man, who sincerely believes in democracy and in the good of his state and the country asks a simple question; Why can’t defection be eliminated from the political scene by enacting a very strict law? Unfortunately, such a measure was strongly opposed in the past by describing it as a fascist measure violative of the basic principles of the constitution and particularly of the freedom of legislators and his right to dissent.
Democratically the argument holds good and thus the menace of defections continue.
Some political leaders in the past have justified their action of defection as adherence to the principles and even claimed the desertion of the party was not defection as they were compelled to break away for ideological reasons. Many a time the defecting leaders have proudly claimed that they had to defect for the good of his constituents in particular and for the good of the state in general. Whatever may be the reasons given by our leaders to support their acts of defection, the fact is that it is not difficult at all to distinguish between defections motivated by a desire to get a share of power or office and a change of sides on the ground of principles.
Defections do disturb democratic functioning of any state or the country. It does slow down the pace of development. Existence of defections is a sign of unhealthy functioning of democracy. Hence if defections cannot be eliminated from the political scene, all out efforts must be made to prevent it from happening wherever possible.
In a democratic form of Government the incidence of defection is not uncommon unless the citizens have developed a high degree of political and party integrity. Even in the developed country like United Kingdom men like William Gladstone, Winston Churchill, etc, had crossed the floor.
In our country too there were many incidents of defections engineered by prominent political leaders.
The history of parliamentary democracy in India points at the Congress party for engineering defection of important leaders to its fold in the pre-1967 elections. However, the opposition parties took advantage of the same concept after 1967, in the changed political situation of the country. The defectors were taken in as chief guests; they were purchased at a price they demanded. A new nomenclature of ‘Aya Ram’ and ‘Gaya Ram’ became the common catch word to denote the shameful situation of Indian politics having its direct bearing on the formation, reformation and deformation of Governments in several states. The trend of politics reflected as an arrangement based on alliances in which the defectors played their conspicuous part. Horse trading became the order of the day and defections were secured by dubious means.
The high drama of political defection was again enacted after 1971 Lok Sabha polls and the states Assembly Polls of 1972. Although the incidents of defection went on decreasing at the national level, subsequently the rate of defection went on escalating in different states of this country. Goa, a tiny but a literate state too became the victim of multiple defections. Even today the ghost of defection does hunt the Kamat-led ministry in Goa.
Defections are the product of various socio-political complexes under which we operate and have to be accepted as a hard sociological reality. Condemnation is not going to lead us anywhere. The real cause for wide spread spectacle of defections and counter-defections are historical, institutional and motivational and often a combination of all the three of them.
The root cause perhaps lies in the history and nature of our political parties. The political leaders as well as the voters too are equally responsible for the political mess that we are in today. Some of the important reasons due to which defections happen can be enlisted as follows: Lack of ideological orientation among the political parties; Lack of discipline and cadre base in political parties; Low level popular involvement in the membership and in the activities of the party; Virtual indifference of the people to the acts of defection by their representative; Infighting and factionalism in parties leading to group defections; Denial of Party tickets in the elections; Lack of commitment and sincerity in the programmes of the party; Attitude of independent members in legislatures to trade their position particularly whenever there is unstable majority in the legislature; Clash of personalities among the legislators and their party leaders; Allurement of office, money, status or the denial of the same in their own parties; Disparities in emoluments and status between legislators and Ministers; Operation of powerful lobbies and pressure groups that command the loyalties from legislators; Unwillingness of the ruling parties to share power or to maintain themselves in power at all costs instead of entering into workable coalitions with like-minded parties; Hypocrisy in Indian politics with gullible people and deceitful leaders who preach one thing and practice other; Dismal poverty and illiteracy among the voters particularly in rural villages; Lack of political vision and blurred political ideas among the voters as well as the leaders, etc. Do we observe any change in the functioning of political parties, politicians and voters in this 21st century?
The factor of personal gain has had an effective part in most of defections, which resulted in forming new party allegiances at the cost of values and integrity in politics and public life.
A common man, who sincerely believes in democracy and in the good of his state and the country asks a simple question; Why can’t defection be eliminated from the political scene by enacting a very strict law? Unfortunately, such a measure was strongly opposed in the past by describing it as a fascist measure violative of the basic principles of the constitution and particularly of the freedom of legislators and his right to dissent.
Democratically the argument holds good and thus the menace of defections continue.
Some political leaders in the past have justified their action of defection as adherence to the principles and even claimed the desertion of the party was not defection as they were compelled to break away for ideological reasons. Many a time the defecting leaders have proudly claimed that they had to defect for the good of his constituents in particular and for the good of the state in general. Whatever may be the reasons given by our leaders to support their acts of defection, the fact is that it is not difficult at all to distinguish between defections motivated by a desire to get a share of power or office and a change of sides on the ground of principles.
Defections do disturb democratic functioning of any state or the country. It does slow down the pace of development. Existence of defections is a sign of unhealthy functioning of democracy. Hence if defections cannot be eliminated from the political scene, all out efforts must be made to prevent it from happening wherever possible.
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