India has been a witness to umpteen corruption scandals and 'resignation' of elected officials, and sometimes even the dissolution of the houses and conducting fresh elections. But one wonders whether this is real accountability, as the latest farce unfolds in Karnataka, wherein the Chief Minister was forced to resign upon the recommendations of the Lokayukta (ombudsman), but managed to have his chamcha (lackey) elected as the new chief minister. This might be a little better than what Laloo Prasad Yadav managed to do in Bihar, by anointing his wife as the new CM.
The real issue at heart is once the elected official resigns, what happens to the alleged perpetrator? This is an issue that needs to be addressed directly and immediately, as we see that the recent resignation of the CM of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, has not been brought to its proper conclusion - establishing guilt and punishing the guilt. This brings us to focus on the current call for the adoption of the Lok Pal Bill, which once again seems to have grandiose aims, but lacks any teeth. This addition of a legislative framework will not see a change, unless the existing rules are enforced in a free and fair manner. While my rant, might sounds like a broken record, it is high time that we stop clamoring for new laws and bodies, but rather focus on how we can enhance the abilities of existing bodies of investigation and prosecution.
This blog will be a rumination on the political processes in India, with a special emphasis placed on the processes involved in current political affairs in India.
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