Changing Parties Sans Ideology

We are witness to the grotesque spectacle of Aya Ram, Gaya Ram politics in Karnataka. Though it is driven by electoral prospects this time, it reminds one of the time in 2019 when several Janata Dal(S) and Congress legislators had jumped ship to join the BJP and help BS Yediyurappa form the government toppling the Congress-JD(S) government in power then.

Surprisingly, a majority of them were re-elected in the bypolls that ensued and joined the new government with fresh legitimacy. Most of them have also been granted tickets this time to contest. Among those quitting the BJP in recent days is a legislator who was anointed a deputy chief minister.

Another is an MLC who was instrumental in engineering mass defection and was rewarded with a seat in the legislative council by the BJP. Two more are on their way out for being denied party nominations for polls scheduled for the Assembly next month. The political chessboard of the state is splattered with countless other transitions, of men and women who are shifting their allegiances merely for greener pastures.

The question this mass exit from the BJP brings up is: Is their decision really driven by any ideology? Do they really stand for any beliefs and values? Or, have they taken to politics merely as a career and would opt for any party that promises them position, pelf and power? Larger questions that stare into our eyes are: Could politics be a career devoid of principles? Should one choose politics as a new graduate chooses careers and companies? Whatever may be the causes and motivations, it is a sad spectacle and speaks of the massive rot in the system.

Jettisoning a party and joining another is certainly not akin to switching over to a new career or company. A political party exists due to shared beliefs in certain ideas, ideals and ideology. It seeks power to see the materialization of its ideas into a society.

The government it forms is not the ultimate objective of its existence. It is an instrument to translate dreams into a society. It goes by principles, policies and postulates that it cherishes to transform society. Its members stick to it due to their personal conviction rather than using it as a ladder for personal development.

Though the 52nd amendment to the Indian Constitution made provision for disqualifying members who relinquished their party affiliation after being elected to a legislature, it was mainly aimed at curbing instability of government and ensuring the security of tenure of the parties in power. It had also recognized the splits within political parties on the basis of ideological differences and disagreement on policy and programmes.

But it did not address the question of legislators and politicians jumping across parties that are ideologically poles apart as it happened in the case of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada who crossed over from the Congress to the BJP, a party that they had constantly accused of communal bigotry in the past. It is time to see if provisions should be introduced asking the defecting politicians to undergo a cooling period of a year or two prior to seeking fresh election under the new political garb they choose to wear.