Exemption ordinance is anti-democracy, says Hegde

DNA: Bangalore: Friday, October 04, 2013.

Describing the recent ordinance aimed at nullifying the supreme court’s order on disqualification of politicians from electoral politics as terrible, Justice Santosh Hegde on Wednesday said that the government move to create a division between public and elected representatives was “wrong”.

The former Lokayukta was speaking at the launch of “Walk for Democracy” organised by Aam Aadmi Party and other political parties.

“Values of democracy have come down. Politicians are more interested in protecting themselves. This attitude of politicians will become a hindrance for democracy in the country. It will create two divisions - elected representatives and common public,’’ Justice Hegde said.

Coming down heavily on politicians known for greed and corruption, Justice Hegde said most politicians considered themselves as professionals and not servants of people who elected them.

“People have to wait in  queue to meet these elected representatives. They have forgotten that it was the voters who elected them,’’ he said.

“Earlier there was a notion among the public that the government was for the public and by the public... Now, the elected representatives feel they are the government.’’

Ashwin Mahesh, president, Lok Satta Party, Karnataka, said most political parties had forgotten Mahatma Gandhi. “It is not enough to remember Mahatma Gandhi once a year.

All of us have to work for the strengthening of democracy in the country,’’ said Mahesh.

More than 100 volunteers of Lok Satta Party, Aam Aadmi Party and other organisations took part in the walk through Kasturba Road, Mallya Hospital Road, Raja Rammohan Roy Square, Mysore Bank Circle, Kempe Gowda Circle and Subedar Chatram Road.

The procession converged at Gandhi statue near Anand Rao Circle.

The processionists demanded that the laws of the country should not, under any circumstances, allow convicted persons to remain elected representatives and that the Election Commission should be fully empowered to and held accountable to ensure that money power in elections is reduced progressively and eliminated.

Further, they demanded that the Election Commission should be held accountable to ensure easy registration of voters, including in all colleges and through post offices, and that the voter rolls should be accurate, and continuously updated, with penalties applicable for errors and deficiencies in registration.

They also demanded that RTI should compulsorily apply to all political parties, and it should be made mandatory for them to declare their funds, and that campaigning for votes in the name of religion, caste, community should be banned.