Bull's Eye

The day this issue appears, four states will vote. People ask: "Who will win?" Does it matter? "Yes, these polls will affect the parliamentary polls next year!" But do those polls matter? Consider the current poll campaign. The Congress says the BJP is soft on rape. The BJP says the Congress is soft on murder. The Congress says Dilip Singh Judeo should be arrested for corruption. The BJP says Ajit Jogi should be arrested for forgery. Both parties have the same poll message: "Their party is more criminal than our party."

In fact, all parties are equally criminal. India stands on the threshold of collapse unless there is revolutionary change—a new political culture and a new political class that must rule India. Battles between political parties have become irrelevant. History waits for war between the people and the politicians.

National leaders are facing criminal charges including fraud, corruption and murder. Two recent events were so significant and of such scale as to threaten the future of India.

First, the Telgi scam. It is of such proportion, involving such a wide array of politicians and officials spread across the country that the truth, when out, could demolish an entire political class.

The other event relates to violence between the peoples of Bihar and Assam. It's now been established that politicians inspired and encouraged the violence. It is established that banned organisations aided by foreign powers fomented inter-state hatred by brutally killing innocents. Assamese and Bihari mobs, tacitly encouraged by their respective officials, killed and raped innocents. The Shiv Sena started anti-Bihar hooliganism in Mumbai. Is this Bal Thackeray's version of patriotism? To deny autonomy to Kashmir but encourage separatism in the rest of India?

The present political class will destroy India. But will India allow this class to thrive? Next year might witness its demise. The national instinct of survival should prevail. It could ignite reform. Quietly, imperceptibly, reform might have already begun.

The Supreme Court has given a lead. It is cleaning up the judicial system. On October 9, Chief Justice V.N. Khare and Justice S.B. Sinha delivered a historic judgement. Now courts can overturn their own previous judgements if deemed fraudulent. Earlier, Justice Khare for the first time allowed the cbi to arrest a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court for corruption. After Supreme Court strictures against the judicial process in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, both state governments should go. Soon, enough heads could start rolling to usher in real political change.