Americans often lament that the massive campaigncontributions of the tobacco lobby or arms manufacturers stack the deck againstour politicians passing certain types of legislation. But India's experiencewith drastic limits on these documented campaign contributions tells adifferent story, according to the local press: When you keep big business outof politics, you let (alleged) criminals and gangsters in.
According to Forbes India and a national daily, raisinglegal limits on campaign expenditures and allowing companies to contribute asmuch cash as they want--as long as it’s on the books--will “reduce the wealthadvantage enjoyed by the tainted” and thus eliminate the incentive that makespolitical parties field candidates with long, if not always proven, criminalrecords.
Even anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International hasjoined the fray, writing to the prime minister to argue: “We demand specialcourts which should be fast tracked, be set up for dealing with allpoliticians, especially legislators, charged with heinous offence againstwomen, including rape and molestation,” according to another national daily.
According to a national business daily, the spending limitsfor one parliamentary constituency are stunningly low -- and completely dwarfedby illegal spending. In 22 states and Delhi, the limit is 2.5 million rupees(around $45,000), while in smaller states the limit is even lower. Because somuch of the real spending is therefore illegal, parties need untraceable “blackmoney” to fund their campaigns, rather than documented contributions. And thatgives dubious characters -- crime is, after all, a cash business -- a distinctadvantage.
“Cash is easier to spend in elections. It doesn’t leave anytrail,” Harish Damodaran, author of “India's New Capitalists,” told me afterone such campaign contributor was killed in a Scarface-style shootout in NewDelhi.
“If you want to have a political rally and get people, youhave to pay people in cash. That's why politics and the liquor business gotogether very well, and not politics and say, software.”
As I've reported earlier for GlobalPost, an Indian outfitcalled the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch hasworked tirelessly to expose the degree to which alleged criminals haveinfiltrated India's political system. First, activists forced the passage ofmandatory rules that require all candidates to declare any criminal casesagainst them, as well as their financial assets, with the Election Commissionbefore they can stand for office. And now, ADR / NEW tabulates and disemminatesthat data to Indian and foreign news outlets before and after every state andnational election, to show just how many such alleged criminals each party isfielding, and later, how many of them have won.
According to ADR, the number of politicians implicated incriminal cases has steadily increased over the past several elections, despitethose efforts. And around a quarter of India's current members of parliamenthave criminal charges pending against them.
Perhaps more disturbing, even as that same parliamentdecries last month's gruesome gang rape, calling for fast-track courts andstrict punishments, the alleged criminals among their ranks face charges ofrape, sexual harassment and other crimes against women -- suggesting thatcleaning house should begin, well, at home.
As reported earlier, India's leading politicalparties have offered tickets to 27 candidates accused of rape and a whopping260 candidates facing charges for crimes against women ranging from assault toharassment over the past five years. As a result, two members of the currentparliament and six members of the various state legislative assemblies arefacing rape charges, while 36 others face charges for lesser crimes againstwomen.
It's not that they love rapists, or hate women, according toresearch conducted by India's National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
