SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL
(Guinness Record Holder & RTI Activist)
It refers to Prime Minister’s reply to CPI leader Gurudas Gupta wherein Dr Manmohansingh has mentioned that modification in process of selection of Election Commissioners to involve consent of Opposition Leader will be taken up with poll-reforms. But big question is when will the much-awaited, most-needed and long delayed poll-reforms will take place and more importantly to what extent? It is simply useless to have reforms in pieces. Country needs massive poll-reforms in one go to make our democratic system qualitative which is presently quantitative tailor-stitched to suit professional politicians for running their political shops to mint money for themselves. In India, democracy can be better defined as system for the politicians, by the politicians and of the politicians. Election Commission for last so many decades has been continuously persuading government for poll-reforms, but the routine argument to postpone these is trying for a ‘never-to-achieve’ political consensus. If real poll-reforms are implemented, it is sure that political shops (parties) of most of big politicians will be shut for ever. Big question arises why and how these heavy-weight politicians give consent for real poll-reforms?
Anti-corruption crusaders in this country are also watering leaves rather than roots when they are not pressing as hard for basic need of poll-reforms as they have been doing for Lokpal. Arvind Kejriwal missed golden opportunity to force for ‘Right-To-Reject’ at time of Hissar by-elections when he rather targeted for defeat of ruling-party candidate at a time when none of the three seriously contesting candidates had a clean record. Only a big revolution carried out by intellectual society like comprising of former Election Commissioners may perhaps force politicians for massive and effective poll-reforms to send good, talented and experts in Parliament and state-assemblies rather than present breed of professional and money-minting politicians.
