Politicians’ Privileges

It has now been reported that Mayawati was granted special security privileges by the union government during the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections. Her vehicles were allowed to airport tarmacs when she flew. She was granted a separate NSG contingent to accompany her. She asked for jammers for her Delhi and Lucknow houses and she got it. The Congress wanted to keep her in good humour for the post-poll alliance and acceded to all her requests.

It is a tragedy that politicians are enjoying all the personal privileges at the taxpayers’ expense. Mayawati is not alone. Her political rivals in Uttar Pradesh, Amar Singh and Kalyan Singh, too enjoy large-scale state security.
Why should these gentlemen get security at our expense? Amar Singh is a power-broker. Kalyan Singh is a self-acknowledged masjid-destroyer. They have stashed in a lot of money to take care of themselves for generations. Behenji, the dalit icon, can raise several crores on her birthday. Why can’t these people be asked to fend for themselves?

Poverty and Conflict in Bihar

Here is a write-up on poverty and conflict in Bihar, originally written for the Chronic Poverty Research Centre-IIPA seminar.

Click here to view the write-up

Mayawati

Mayawati has just won a decisive victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Its a heartening thing that a Dalit woman has succeeded in cementing a winning caste alliance to get an absolute majority in an assembly after seventeen long years of coalition governments in the state.

But in this euphoria let us not forget that she has brought in a large number of criminal elements into politics. Most of her MLAs in the last Bihar assembly were hardened criminals. And she has often given the impression that she cares two hoots for it as long as it gives her success. It is good to have a Dalit as a popular leader but if she behaves in the same manner as the her predecessors, upper or middle caste crooks, then she cannot be a role model in our politics.

Unfortunately, our political system only throws up alternative personalities and not alternative political culture. And that is why a Kalyan Singh is replaced by a Mulayam Singh and who in turn is succeeded by Mayawati-birds of the same feather.

We need to create alternative political culture that throws up leaders who are of a different genre; we need to have an alternative political system which encourages people who genuinely seek to improve the lot of the poorest of the poor to come forward and get public support. Kalyan Singhs, Mulayam Singhs and Mayawatis have been chief ministers who have feathered there own nests and that of their cronies, and the poorest of the poor have been left to rue there lot.

It is time, this forum exposes the true colours of Mayawatis, Mulayam Singhs and Kalyan Singhs of Uttar Pradesh and awaken the people to create and support an alternative political culture,  an alternative political ststem and alternative political personalities.