Rot in politics due to market forces: BJP

Economic reforms and liberation in the early 1990s led to this: Murli Manohar Joshi

An ever-tightening grip of market forces on the political system is solely responsible for the prevailing rot in the politics,senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said today.

“Ever since the market forces took centre stage in the country following initiation of economic reforms and liberation in the early 1990s,the political system gave heed to the needs and expectations of the corporates and presided over economic policies that suited the rich people,” he said at a seminar here.

The market forces loosened their purse strings to virtually control the political system comprising both the political parties in power and those in the opposition and made them tweak economic policies to suit their economic interests at the cost of welfare of the masses and development for the natives,the senior BJP leader alleged.

It has been noticed over the past two decades that the political parties have lost touch with the masses and pulse of their aspirations as reflected in total disconnect between the people and the political system,he said.

There was a time when the political parties used to go to the people to seek donations to run their affairs,including election expenditure,but slowly and steadily these parties have stopped this practice as the corporates ensured that the purses of these parties grew thicker,he said.

“At a time when the democratic polity has become a polity of money,does the political parties require to cater to the people’s aspirations?” he asked.

Voicing concern that the fabric of the Indian polity stood eroded an the credibility of the politicians at an all time low,Joshi asked whether the market economy was doing good to the people and the country of more than one billion.

Story continues below this ad

“If you (politicians) continue to ignore the anger of the people and read into reasons of their distrust in you,I warn you that a revolution beckons in the country,” he said.

“You (politicians) must free yourself from the money power and take the route of spiritualism and public service to win back the confidence and trust of the masses before the time runs out,” he said.