Someone like D.P. Yadav

Nitish Katara’s mother was brave and charitable indeed to hunt for the silver lining. Becoming a member of a national party may make someone more accountable perhaps, she told this paper. Someone like D.P. Yadav. Who has just joined the BJP and whose son is the prime accused in the Nitish murder case which is still a very long way from just closure. In fact, Yadav has much to be accountable for. He is himself a history sheeter and the criminal cases against him run the gamut from murder to kidnapping and extortion. But this moment is not just about the local tyrant from Ghaziabad who made it big in the power game, wending his way through several parties — the JD, SP, BSP — to finally find pride of place in the party making a bid for re-election at the Centre. It is a moment to reflect upon the work yet to be done to cleanse politics of the criminal and the corrupt. In this moment, it is impossible to summon Neelam Katara’s dogged optimism.

Of course, the BJP could point out it has company. A quick survey of the membership lists of our political parties would be instructive and depressing. Far too many among them have prospered in their political careers by cultivating a cult of fear and intimidation. In far too many constituencies in this country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, muscle power is deemed critical. But at the same time, there is reason why D.P. Yadav’s case deserves special mention. For one, there has been a discernible difference in the last few years, with the activism of the Election Commission combining with a change in political culture wrought by more vigilant civil society groups increasingly unafraid to haul their case before a responsive court. It has been slow to come about, but political parties today are significantly less unrepentant about relying on goons and strongmen to get the vote. Ironic, then, that D.P. Yadav’s enrolment in the BJP, self-proclaimed party with a difference, comes at a time when those with a far more sullied record than its own are making attempts to clean up, or at least successfully selling that impression.

The BJP-led NDA government is loud in congratulating itself for bringing about legal measures of political reform during its tenure — to a large extent, it has good reason to say so. But reform is not just about laws and the rule of law. It also has to do with countless, but faithfully adhered to, norms and conventions. In the end, it is these intangibles of a healthy political culture that are at stake when a political party opens its doors to someone like D.P. Yadav.