On Saturday, newly-appointed Madhya Pradesh Law and Legislative Affairs Minister PC Sharma said that a proposal is in the offing to withdraw registered cases against Congress workers and leaders. Though, the Law Minister claimed that cases registered over participation in agitations and protests will be revoked but the proposal appears a flagrant violation of the idea of justice and is blatant exploitation of political power.
While talking to the press, he said, “The Principal Secretary (Law and Legislative Affairs) will be consulted in the matter after which, a detailed proposal will be drafted for withdrawing the cases”. PC Sharma who won election from the Bhopal Dakshin-Paschim Assembly seat, also said that in pursuance with the commitment made in party’s poll manifesto, the new government will also enact a law for the safety of journalists and advocates.
But the reports and facts convey a different story. According to the Election Commission’s watchdog ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ (ADR), at least 25% of Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have serious criminal cases pending against them. By this order, the Congress government appears to absolve its leaders of the crimes committed.
Out of 114 MLAs of the Congress party, 56 (49%) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits filed before the elections. While six of the Congress MLAs have declared cases related to attempt to murder, one MLA faces murder charges. The MLA facing murder case is Sukhdev Panse, who won from Multai constituency on the Congress ticket.
Almost 28 MLAs from the Grand Old Party are facing serious criminal charges in the 230-member assembly that accounts for 25% of the total number of MLAs. Also, the newly appointed CM of the state, Kamal Nath has a long list of criminal offenses attached to him. The MP CM had been caught on camera bashing Hindus while campaigning in Madhya Pradesh elections. In the video, he is seen saying, Muslim clerics, that ‘Congress will surely deal with the Hindus after the election, for now, the Muslims should stand with the Congress.’
Congress party seems to be taking the state to the same old days of corruption and vandalism which the state witnessed under Congress’ previous regimes in Madhya Pradesh. Recently, a large number of IAS officers were transferred by the Kamal Nath government who were appointed by the previous government. This basically hints towards a search for “favourable” officers, loyal to the Congress party and its leaders. Such en masse dismissal demoralizes bureaucracy and makes the system corrupt and inefficient. And this loyalty to political party goes against four salient aspects of civil services highlighted by Sardar Patel: ‘empathy’, ‘efficiency’, ‘impartiality’ and ‘incorruptibility’.
By looking closely and connecting all the threads, one can reach the conclusion that the Congress party is busy forming a proper infrastructure which suits its corruption module. Also, the case is somewhat similar in the other states where the Grand Old Party formed the government i.e. in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.