Means are important and Gandhi is still relevant - the curious case of Mahua Moitra

Last month was full of wholly unexpected news about the fire brand Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal Ms. Mahua Moitra who has reportedly violated the code of conduct and ethics for MPs by sharing her official user id with a businessman friend to receive vital information about a certain big business house so that she could ask questions of the government. Whether this was sheer indiscretion or was motivated by not so laudable considerations, as some people have alleged, only time will tell and only after the final judgement is delivered. If nothing else, this indiscretion was totally avoidable for a person of her intelligence, education and years of work experience prior to joining politics.

Now it is one thing to be smart to dig out information about wrong doings through means that are fair, it is another when means are not fair, that is when even good intentions return a cropper and invite embarrassment, disciplinary proceedings and sometimes criminal investigation as might happen in this case. So, Gandhi Ji’s mantra of ‘means being as sacrosanct as the ends’ continues to be relevant. It is at one’s own peril that this principle is violated, even in politics. Unfair means sometimes catch up fast to bring sorrow to those who throw caution to the winds.

Till this controversy erupted, Ms. Mahua Moitra, MP, was seen as bold, thorough with facts and figures, articulate and a brilliant orator. People would tune in to watch her speeches in parliament and she would often not disappoint. In her tenure as MP she had won over thousands of admirers all over the country for her guts and gutsy no holds barred speeches.

But how horribly wrong she has gone in sharing her official user id with a private person throwing the code of conduct out of the window, this is what the Ethics Panel of Lok Sabha seems to have concluded after questioning her. If what is in the media is correct, this misdemeanour will certainly dent her reputation for boldness and uprightness. It is a lesson for all politicians and legislators everywhere. Although many in her party and outside think that Mahua Moitra has become victim of a conspiracy, the moot point is why did she share her official user id with a businessman friend. Her chickens have come home to roost as the same businessman friend is learnt to have submitted an affidavit alluding to sharing of user id, extending hospitality and giving her some gifts. Of course, she has denied the allegations and offered to be investigated. Truth will come out only after the enquiries and investigations are concluded and she is given a fair chance to defend herself.

Question Hour in Legislature

The question hour is probably most important part of the daily business of any House of the Legislature. Questions are put to the government who is duty bound to reply through the concerned Minister to whose portfolio the question pertains. Questions can be starred or unstarred. Whereas a starred question once admitted by the Speaker or the Chairperson of the House has also to be replied orally in the House, the unstarred question only requires a written reply. In case of a starred question, the concerned Minister is often grilled through supplementary questions by the member who asked the question and even by other members present in the House to probe deeper and push the Minister and the government up against the wall in case of any shortfall, poor implementation, wrong doings or acts of omission and commission.

The purpose of asking questions of the government in the parliament or for that matter any legislature, is to seek accountability from the government before the full House and indeed, before the citizens of the country or the state as the case may be. On many occasions questions asked in the legislature have led to further enquiries and investigations putting many governments in the dock.

One is reminded of the question hour in J&K Legislative Assembly and the J&K Legislative Council. We officers would sit late in the evening beyond office hours till the replies to the listed questions were prepared, finalised and then got approved by the concerned Minister. In case of starred question there was added anxiety about the supplementaries. The Administrative Secretary along with the concerned HODs would be present in the official gallery of the House to assist the Minister in replying to the supplementaries.

In case of questions relating to state policy or matters pertaining to portfolios with the Chief Minister, the Chief Minister would himself or herself attend the House with Chief Secretary and other senior most officials present in the official gallery. The entire exercise showcased owning of responsibility by the government and holding the government accountable. J&K had a well developed tradition of functioning of two houses of legislature and that helped seek accountability from the government in substantial measure.
Accountability

Accountability along with transparency, responsiveness, participation, consensus, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness and efficiency and following rule of law are eight elements of good governance as per the UNDP definition of Good Governance. No government can claim accountability unless it has the systems and mechanisms of representation in place. J&K has been having elected local bodies but not an elected legislature for over five years now and to that extent the UT government cannot claim to also have the element of accountability as it is understood. It has decidedly taken many steps to improve efficiency and effectiveness and even transparency through e-governance and e-office, but in terms of accountability to the citizens through legislature, that can be claimed only after an elected government is in place.

In fact most people in J&K are eagerly awaiting elections to the legislative assembly and restoration of statehood which has been assured at the highest levels. It is widely felt that notwithstanding the online systems created for redress of complaints and grievances, back to the village visits, personal hearings by senior officials to redress public grievances, delivery of public services through online mode and public services guarantee law, none of these, singly or together, is a substitute for an elected government accountable to the people of J&K.

Leaders of tomorrow

An elected political system and government are not necessarily solution to all the problems. If that were so then there would be no unsolved problems by now. There is also an old saying that people get the government they deserve. So if people want a good clean government that takes care of their needs and legitimate aspirations, they must choose their representatives and parties carefully. It is important to look at the manifesto of political parties and see what is there for the common good. Those political parties who promise to work on most important issues need to be given a hard look. In the present times the issues of environment, ecology and protection of natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir have become critical because if these issues are not taken care of, J&K will soon lose its competitive advantages of natural beauty and salubrious climate.

Development has to be environment friendly and not by vandalising of bounties of nature. Political parties have to consider these issues and not sweep them under the carpet. Laissez faire is not an option and more of the same is also not an option.

In the past the political leaders here have concentrated less on creating empowered citizens and ignorantly spawned a culture of dependence in which people want everything to be done by the government. This style and type of governance has to change.

It is for the top political leadership to lead the way and give a clear guideline to the rank and file of their parties. A new Jammu and Kashmir should have empowered citizens who will prefer self employment and entrepreneurship over government jobs, skill development and skilled jobs over daily wage employment and who will happily pay their taxes and pay for the services rendered to them by the government and its agencies.

J&K needs to have such non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of local people who will willingly take up community work and not beg of government officials for every little work to be done in their neighbourhoods.

The political leaders of tomorrow in J&K should be more of activists than politicians as we know.

(Khurshid Ahmed Ganai is a retired IAS officer of the erstwhile J&K cadre and former Advisor to the Governor )