Criminalisation of politics

    The addiction to have control over things is sanctified by power. Power gives the required control and access to resources which can be utilised in pursuance of goals. The goals depends on the vulnerability of the individual to defect from moral principles. The more the vulnerability, the more the probability of defecting and more the degree of vested interests involved in goals.

    Criminalisation of politics is one of the most hideous issues in governance. The fact that almost 40 percent of the politicians in our country have criminal record is mind blowing. Politics and crime goes hand in hand and is difficult to differentiate and delineate between the criminals and politicians.

    A person having a criminal background will be more prone to deviate from the morals than with the one with a clean sheet. Its not that the person with clean sheet is not corruptible over time, but there is a hope. While it is not to say that a person with criminal record will not mend his ways, but again it really depends on the individual psyche and the social world the person lives in. Having said that it is always better to have a person with no criminal background so that he becomes a role model of a leader to the society. The first job of a leader is to live by example and then guide others. If the leader is corruptible, how can we expect the system not to be corrupt?

    Criminalisation of politics invariably leads to mis-governance and corruption. It might lead to degradation of societal values and lack of vision. Selfishness starts breeding in each individual and none is concerned with the greater good. The degradation of morals lead to oppression of the weak, poor and the vulnerable and finally democracy becomes a mere hypocrisy!

    The Supreme Court in its recent verdict has given a directive for the political parties to explain why the party was not able to select a candidate with no criminal record. Of course there are many loop holes in our law where a person can be easily accused of crime like the Criminal defamation, but yet it becomes the duty of the parties to clarify to the people about the validity of selection of their candidates because ultimately they are answerable to the people who gave them power. It would be better if the political parties take further initiative and reform the working of party affairs in the matter of selection of candidate.