KCR's double-standard exposed

The way in which Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has been encouraging defections of MLAs into the TRS is nothing but singing a sad song on our loosely knit democratic system. He is exploiting to the hilt the lopsided loose ends in our democratic setup. The anti-defection law has been made infructuous.

In fact, through such defections, the people who elected the MLAs are being cheated. As such it should be made a criminal offence if an MLA defects. The anti-defection law should be amended in such a way to make 'defection' as a criminal offence if an MLA defects to another party without resigning to the MLA post and to the party from which he was elected.

Along with that, he must reimburse all the expenses incurred for his earlier election to the State exchequer. After all, it is public money. On one hand, Chandrashekar Rao has been speaking of bringing 'qualitative' change in Indian politics. He thus brought the Federal Front concept into the limelight.

But on the other hand, he is encouraging defections from other party MLAs, through all back-door methods. It is surprising as to what qualitative change he wishes to bring in by resorting to such unhealthy operations. In fact, he had not left a single abusive word unused when he lambasted the Congress leaders as 'daddammalu', chavatalu', 'sannasulu' etc., on several occasions earlier.

What sudden transformation has now fallen on him to see these Congress leaders as immaculate and impeccable pearls? If the Chief Minister really wants to bring in that 'qualitative change' as propounded, he must be dare enough to first ask the defecting MLAs to demit their MLA post first, then join the new party and get re-elected from that party.

-T R Rao, RK Puram, Hyderabad