Ethical Cleansing Or Bust

October 27, 2003 00:00 IST Ethical Cleansing Or Bust -0001-11-30T00:00:00+05:53

While scouring India’s galaxy of politicians, one does find a few representatives whose careers are possibly as spotless as their starched white outfits. These are politicians who will admit to the decay in political life. Adopting an attitude that is introspective rather than accusatory, they express concern about the growing disconnection between politicians and the middle class. They advocate a clean-up operation to rescue politics from further ignominy.

"It is a major problem for us to ponder about, since politicians are primarily responsible," says West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. The middle class, he says, is too caught up in material exigencies and in the travails of urban life to spare time for political parties or ideologies. The criminalisation of politics further adds to the disengagement between the two groups. "It’s a sad fact of life that downright criminals are entering politics and that some politicians are themselves making money illegally," rues Bhattacharya. Not only is a political career seen as unviable for the middle class youth, but...