Dr.Manmohan Singh's initiative - political reforms?

We all aware of Dr.Manmohan Singh's recent initiative to prevent corrupt politics and corruption in politics. The Government now is proposing to make a code of conduct for politicians or ministers that they should not own any business interests which will be in conflict with their public duties as ministers. Though, we yet to see as to the status of proposed code of conduct initiated by Dr.Manmohan Singh and how it will be implemented, I think, it’s a good move as it will trigger a discussion atleast among the public on an important public issue. 

It is true that India can never claim that it is developed unless we bring required political reforms and able to give a clean and able government. The development of any country depends upon the functioning of its government. If the government consists of able and clean people like Dr.Manmohan Singh and Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta, the country will automatically get developed. Public knows this, but, they had to remain as a silent spectators.

The root cause for this corrupt politics is election expenditures or the methods adopted by many political parties to win in the elections. Crores of rupees are being spent in elections and obviously a person who has spent crores to get elected, tend to think about getting his investment back with profit. Thus, election process and Indian politics have become fully corrupt.

Truly qualified, eminent and clean people are not coming to politics and infact the established political parties do not give seats to clean people. If a person with good track record contests in the elections he is not getting elected. This is a deep rooted problem. 

Unless our entire political process is corrected, it is very difficult to eradicate corruption in politics. I think it is the high time to bring needed reforms in our political process.

Two things are necessary in reforming our politics and those are like:

       1. State's Political Funding.

       2. Restricting voting right to educated.

A contestant in the election should provide information to all the voters and it involves some expenditure.  If state funds the election expenditure upon some criteria, then, the people who really want to serve the public may get encouraged to contest in the elections and they may win ultimately. We need a good law making a level playing field between the politicians with all the money and muscle power and the clean contestants like Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta in Andhra Pradesh.

Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta has said that state funding to politics may not bring the proper reforms in politics. He has reasoned that the government can not stop a politician in making election expenditure unaccounted and under such circumstances, political funding may not solve the problem. Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta may not be totally correct. Atleast, good people will take interest in politics when they are given the right opportunity to present themselves before the public or the voters. Thus, we need a good law on state's political funding and making a level playing field for all the contestants.

Secondly, a voter needs a basic knowledge about this society and he needs information before electing a person. It is true that even uneducated gets all information about the contestants at times. But, basic education makes a person to avail the information through media and other sources and education gives required prudence to make right choice while they vote in elections. Thus, we need to restrict voting rights and we need a law providing voting right only to people with basic education. Its true that even educated will vote looking at community etc. illogical issues at times. But, there is an ample chance that an educated will elect a good person as he will be privileged to required information and tends to think about this society through media etc. I don’t think that educated will act against the interests of uneducated.

We need political reforms in India and we need to see many politicians like Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta, Dr.Manmohan Singh, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, L.K.Advani etc.

There must be a beginning for political reforms though it is a continuous process. Dr.Manmohan Singh's move to prevent corruption in politics is laudable as it will atleast trigger discussion on political reforms and corruption in politics.

All educated and enlightened should think about our society and politics and distancing from politics on some reason is a crime towards India and our future generation. Indians can be happy and be flourished only when they are governed well and we need clean and able government. Without clean and able government, we can not think about competing with China and USA. Bigger market, outsourcing contracts, NRI contributions and FDI will not represent true growth as everybody knows.