M D Nalapat
It
used to be said that Joe Biden was the only US Senator who was not a
millionaire. Now, he is the Vice-President. Unlike Dick Cheney, who was
in the same office when huge contracts got awarded in Iraq to a company
that he had been closely associated with, Biden stays clear of commerce.
Had he been a politician in India, here too he would have been the
exception. For there is no easier way to fabulous riches in India than
through politics. In the present Manmohan Singh government, almost all
the ministers are super-affluent. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad
Pawar (the President of the International Cricket Council) is even
richer than former PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif or present President of
Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, as are several of his Cabinet colleagues
(even though most conceal their wealth through “benami” entities).
Unlike most other politicians, Pawar is open about his wealth and his
lifestyle, perhaps the reason why he is still popular in his home state
of Maharashtra - the state that has given the world Sunil Gavaskar and
Sachin Tendulkar.
In a polity which has multiple parties, even a 3% margin can make the difference between electoral defeat and a landslide. This is the reason why parties other than the few “Hindutva” parties ( who may be compared to the “Islam Pasanda” parties in Pakistan) are so eager to win over the Muslims. Now comprising 16% of the population of the Union of India, the Muslim community has understood the power of the ballot, and participates in the electoral process far more effectively than many other communities. The problem facing the Congress Party is that the Muslim vote is divided between itself and other non-Hindutva parties, such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Janata Dal (United). Unless the Congress Party can convince the Muslim community that it can represent its interests better than any other, Rahul Gandhi’s dream of ensuring a majority in Parliament for his party will remain unattained.
