Voters seek crime-free city,parties bank on their short memory
If Mulayam Singh Yadavs regime was about criminals running their own writ,particularly in Allahabad,the BSPs tenure since 2007 has been a story of systemic corruption.
If Mulayam Singh Yadav’s regime was about criminals running their own writ,particularly in Allahabad,the BSP’s tenure since 2007 has been a story of systemic corruption. Now,when the state goes to polls again,the electorate does not seem to have much of a choice. Both the parties,nevertheless,seem to be relying on the old adage of public memory being short and are hoping that an image make-over and some cosmetic changes will do the trick.
The memories of the daring daylight murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal on January 25,2005,have still not faded from the minds of the residents. “Raju Pal was killed just because he had managed to defeat Ahmed’s brother Ashraf. There was no other reason,” a veteran politician said on conditions of anonymity. “That was a time when criminals were given free run completely aided by the administration and the police,” he said.
Ahmed,who was the MLA from city (west) five times (thrice as independent,once each on Apna Dal and Samajwadi Party tickets and also the MP from Phulpur on SP ticket),had many followers and supporters among his own community members. But then,he would often,recalled old timers,terrorise the localities who refused to come to his support.
Business was next to impossible unless Ahmed got a cut or a share. “And if he liked it,then he would simply usurp the entire property,” a trader said. Vijay Arora,the general secretary of Prayag Vyapar Mandal,said: “Traders were given many facilities during that regime. Par humein apnee jaan ki chinta hone lagee (But,we had to worry about our lives). That is why we went with BSP,” he said.
Vijay Mishra,the main accused in the attack on BSP Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi,in which The Indian Express reporter Vijay Pratap Singh got killed,is still with the Samajwadi party. The sitting MLA from Bhadohi (Sant Ravi Das Nagar) is now contesting from Gyanpur seat in the same district.
The BSP,on the other hand,seems to be on a more secure wicket when it comes to the law and order issue. “The credit goes to her in controlling the open brandishing of guns. But even in her regime,there have been murders and loots,” Arora said. During the BSP regime,however,it is the systemic corruption that has left people exasperated.
Prof J N Pal of Allahabad University said the only difference between the two was method of corruption. “Criminals ran amok during SP’s rule. But during Mayawati,any and every service came with a price tag. People would openly demand money,which had to be paid,” said Prof Pal.
The government employees here often talk of the “levy” one needed to pay to stay at a particular post,get transferred or get promotions. As has been exposed by a number of investigations and the CAG reports,the corruption in the BSP government has been through the official channel,where the handing over of contracts without tenders or following rules has been a common phenomenon.
But whether these issues have major impact on the ground is a moot point. “Things like corruption in NRHM do not cut much ice with the committed voters. Also,caste lines run very deep,” argued Pradeep Bhargava,Director of Gobind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute here.
The BSP,it appears,feels the action taken against the corrupt ministers would be enough to send the right message,at least among the Party cadres. Its candidates’ line up in Allahabad exhibits as much. Barring sitting MLA from Handia Rakesh Dhar Tripathi,the higher education minister,who was sacked from the post on corruption charges,almost all the other candidates have been repeated by the Party. A few have their constituencies changed but that is largely on account of delimitation.
“We can say that it (sacking nearly two dozen ministers and cancelling their tickets) is a ‘last moment gimmick’. But,the message that will go down is that,at least,some action has been taken,” Bhargava said.
On the other hand,Samajwadi Party too seems to be in an image make-over exercise. Its selection for City (West) in itself is a case in point. While most of the other parties have chosen to field “barely heard” candidates (read dummies),SP has fielded former cricketer Jyoti Yadav.
Yadav,whose father was a sitting MLA from the same constituency,said: “People do not remember the past. They look for what is store for future. Ever since I have begun campaigning,nobody rakes up the issue of past candidates. No equations are working here.”
Congress could have staked its claim riding on the charm of its General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. But it will have to wait. “He seems to be creating a following rather than setting up the base for a party,” quipped Bhargava. BJP,meanwhile,can only hope to gain a few brownie points by somehow polarising opinion on the Muslim reservation issue,he added.
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