Bull's Eye

Democracy also gives us freedom of information. Mulayam Singh used this freedom to inform the world through secret videotapes that Mayawati urged her partymen to divert government funds to party coffers. But Mulayam Singh forgot that democracy also gives us the rule of law. Mayawati used the rule of law to slap 137 cases against him. Because we have equality under law, Mulayam Singh pointed out that preceding CMs, including Mayawati, had also committed the crimes of which he was being accused.

Things were getting out of hand. Fortunately we have a Parliament. Some MPs contemplated a law to protect former CMs from being arrested by current incumbents. But we also have a legal system. Lawyers cautioned that such a law could violate the constitutional requirement of making all citizens equal under law. That was why Parliament began considering a code of conduct instead of a new law.

Politicians were needlessly alarmed. Judges could always help them. The attorney-general of India observed that there was corruption in the judiciary. A sitting chief justice of India says that 20 per cent of the judges are corrupt. Ordinary citizens contend that 50 per cent are corrupt. There are differences over the percentage, but agreement on the fact that some judges are corrupt. That dilutes the law of contempt against judges. That is why a new law is being made to render truth as a valid defence against charges of contempt.

But what is the truth? Only the police can know. Some politicians want the police to probe vital national issues and get at the truth. Did Vajpayee eat beef? Did Uma Bharati feed egg to Hanumanji? Why doesn't the police use pota to find out?

But the police use pota only against insurgents. "After all, fighting insurgency is more important," a minister explained. "It threatens our system. And we must at all costs save our system!"

You must be very, very smart
To put legality apart,
To turn survival into art
And make democracy a tart!