If you have any interest in politics-or even if you don't have but have been following news-then you must be aware of the drama that's been unfolding in Maharashtra for the post of CM and for government formation.
Here is the gist for you as per my understading. The voters gave clear mandate to the BJP-Sena combine. All BJP and Sena had to do was to follow the deal they must have brokered before the elections. The other 2 parties NCP and Congress were nowhere in the picture. NCP boss Mr. Sharad Pawar had already said on multiple occasions that janta has given them mandate to sit in opposition.
Everything as per the script till now. Then suddenly Sena sensed an opportunity to bargain more than BJP could give. BJP also didn't relent and made it clear that CM post is non-negotiable. This tussle went on for over a week. In between Netas from both sides kept giving bites, asking the other to fall in line. Finally BJP declared they don't have the majority to form government. Sena being stubborn went to NCP and Congress to broker a new deal.
Now NCP forgot the mandate of the janta and started negotiating with both Sena and Congress. Congress being Congress also put on their own conditions. Meanwhile Governor put Maharasthra under President rule when no one came forward to form Govt within the (arbitrary) time limit set by him. All 3 parties went continued to negatiate having multiple meetings at different levels. I don't know, if we should call it their lethargy or their greed that they couldn't come up on the same page even after meetings for 2 weeks.
Anyways, when the common goal finally seemed to be set and morning papers printed that Mr. Uddhav Thakrey will be the next Chief Minister. But BJP had another trick up their sleeve, they somehow managed to get Ajit Pawar (the formal leader of the NCP's MLAs) onboard. The same Ajit Pawar who was being investigated for various corruption charges by BJP led investigative agencies. Shockingly, within overnight the President Rule lifted by the wisdom of of our Honorable Prime Minister. The Governor also managed to wake up early morning to administer the oath to the CM and Deputy CM in front of a camera or 2.
The Sena, Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP predictable went to court against this. Finally SC today gave the order of televised voting within 24 hours. It was not possible for BJP to do horse trading and mass defection in such short period. So well, the Chief and Deputy Chief Ministers resigned within 4 days of administering oath. Now it seems the rest of the 3 parties will finally get a chance to form a 'khichadi' Govt (as BJP likes to call it). We may get to see 1 CM and 2 Deputy CMs now. So much for drama.
If you enjoy this "jod-tod" politics, you must have been following up the events with glee. It definitely feels like a perfect plot of a political thriller. But I feel disgusted.
All 4 parties are openly indulging in shredding the people's mandate into pieces. If the parties couldn't come on common platform, ideally re-elections should have happened. Let voters give a clearer mandate next time. But here everyone wants a piece of pie, whatever be the cost.
I don't know how we people even tolerate this open horse trading? Why don't we call out these immoral acts? Why isn't BJP punished in the elections for so openly indulging in corruption? Why aren't these MLAs and MPs thrown out by the voters the next time for their greed. It's not a game, it's an insult to our democracy!
We the people chose our MLAs and MPs and they are just so easily sellable. The parties can't even trust their own workers and ministers and have to hide them in resorts and hotels.
I understand there are no permanent foes or friends in politics, but should that mean you don't have any ideology at all? How can BJP so easily intake the same persons behind whom they had thrown their investigative agencies? How are these people corrupt when outside BJP but suddenly become 'pure' when inside BJP?
You may call it masterstroke of the BJP, and in a way it is. But it's a message to us that we as voters don't matter as much. They will make the Government whichever way we vote (Bihar, Karnatka and Goa are prime examples).
I follow politics but I am more interested in Development based politics. Where people fight on real issues like air, water, transportation, health, education etc. But here only making the Government matters. That seems to be the goal of this game. Development is taken for granted. Ministries are awarded not based on the competency of a person, but based on the power of the person holding the position and how lucrative the portfolio is.
I don't know if politics was every good in this country. May be it never will be. But right now I think we are seeing one of the lowest point in politics. I put the majority of the blame on BJP for lowering the standards in the name of "Masterstrokes". But the other parties are also responsible to a large extent. If they could have given a clean and clear alternative, clearly defined their ideology and also opposed what's clearly unethical, people might have chosen them.
Alas this drama seems "to be continued... "
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