Bizarre political drama

The sordid political drama in Maharashtra had left no political party in any glory. It had blackened the faces of all prime players. First, Shiv Sena had reneged on its support to BJP claiming CM'S chair though he had far less numbers than the later. When BJP didn't yield, other political parties stepped in though they were poles apart.

It was marriage of convenience with no compatibility. The BJP tarnished its own image by rushing to form the government in the darkness. If BJP accused others of un-principled alliance, it also resorted to the same thing by forging alliance with illusory faction led by Ajit Pawar who didn't have any qualms in abandoning his ship.

In a shameless hurry, the one-day government of Fadnavis dropped the anti-corruption cases against Ajit Pawar as a return gift. The President's rule in the state was revoked in undue haste in the wee hours, apparently with no cabinet meeting. Nothing other than malafide intentions can explain this kind of haste.

The Governor of the state also was woken up from sleep to facilitate the government formation by Fadnavis with no solid proof of required numbers. This is yet another instance of how the ruling parties are misusing the posts of governors for their political needs. The bizarre midnight drama recoiled on BJP and it fell even before it could be formed. some BJP enthusiasts hailed Amit Shah as Chanakya for his strategy which badly misfired and brought ignominy to his party in particular and to politicians in general.

-Vinay Bhushan Bhagwaty, Hyderabad

II

"However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good it will prove to be bad" said Dr. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee while addressing the Constituent Assembly for the last time on November 25,1949 . The series of dramatic events that unfolded in Maharashtra politics recently exemplifies the above statement of Babasaheb in its true sense and makes one apprehensive of the way the institutions are being misused for petty political gains.

While the acts of Constitutional subterfuge are not new to this country, this episode sets a fresh precedence for all such events as this case has been resorted by a party which has been voted to the power with a huge mandate for the second consecutive term at the centre. Thanks to the judiciary for its efforts in cultivating the culture of Constitutional morality through its legal acumen.

-Satish Reddy Kanaganti, Nalgonda

III

President Ram Nath Kovind has laid stress on the importance of adhering by all organs of the state including ordinary citizens, to constitutional morality. According to Andre Beteille, the Indian sociologist, the strength and weakness of constitutional morality in contemporary India should be understood in the light of a cycle of escalating demands from people and callous responses of successive governments to those demands.

In a parliamentary democracy like ours, these high values are supposed to be equally binding on both the government and the opposition. But what is the reality here? A distressing picture we see. Alas, it is cheap, indigestible and irresponsible. A party that as the ruler treats the core values of constitution in one way, enjoys convenient bliss in taking the obligations astonishingly differently when it is in the opposition. The need of the hour is that first our political parties and its bosses should change for the better so that there may not be repetitions of 'Maha mayas' and it can be a right beginning of trying to learn and cherish constitutional morality.

-E Sethuramalingam, Kollam