Dance of demonocracy

Anna might have once orchestrated dance of democracy, but who is there to stop an unrelenting dance of demonocracy?

The demons are our speakers and governors conniving with the power-hungry party leaders.

Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly K G Bopiah is demonstrating an extreme fairness in case of Sriramulu, who resigned as a BJP legislator last Sunday. He is taking time to decide on the resignation. It is a due diligence to make sure that the Bellary MLA had acted on his own will without anybody’s bad influence, and it was not a hasty decision. A speaker has to do this, in the interest of democracy, because it is a question of an elected representative, while it involves the popular sentiment of the electorate.

So far Bopiah has relieved fourteen MLAs after they resigned. All are from the opposition parties- the Congress and the JD(S) - and he took maximum of fifteen minutes to accept their resignations. The average speed of response was five minutes. It was ‘operation lotus’ launched to poach legislators from the opposition parties adding to the strength of the ruling party. The swiftness was very much required, in the interest of democracy, because it was a question of stability of an elected government, while it involved the popular sentiment of the electorate.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was fortunate to have a speaker, who knew his business as a guardian of democracy. Bopiah was sensible enough to understand the sensitivities of the ruling faction of a ruling party. Remember how he disqualified sixteen MLAs a few minutes before they could topple the government. His conduct was so saintly on that day that the abuses hurled at him in the house did not fell on his ears. He was so courageous that he did not show a sign of fear even when the floor turned gang war zone between the ruling and the opposition members prompting police entering the house.

Great service he rendered to democracy. He denied voting right of the rebel MLAs by disqualifying them lest they would have pulled down the government doing disservice to democracy.

The Governor H R Bharadwaj is no less a valiant guardian of democracy. He guarded it by denying voting right of these rebels after the Supreme Court reversed Bopiah's decision disqualifying them. He didn’t allow the assembly session to happen till he was overcome by the BJP legislative party resolving to show confidence in Yeddyurappa. Even the Congress frowned on his antics as more loyal than king.

The sixteen MLAs wanted to throw out Yeddyurappa government before Bopiah disqualified them because they were assured of money and power by the JD(S). By the time Supreme Court restored their membership they wanted to support the government because they saw greener pasture in the ruling BJP and promptly came back to Yeddyurappa’s fold. In fact, this was the real dance of democracy. The rock stars were the speaker and the Governor. They rocked at the Rock and Roll party with the rebel legislators ably essaying the role of summersault clowns.

Now that rebel in Sriramulu is vanished with his leader G Janardana Reddy landing in CBI dragnet. He has apparently dropped the idea of launching his own political outfit up against the BJP as leaving the party no longer suits his needs. Protecting his interest is in the interest of the BJP now. And a loyal party man he is, Bopiah is just doing what the party wants him to do.

He could have rejected the resignation had rules permitted. Rules say, a speaker can reject resignation of an MLA if it is reached him through a third party or by post or by fax. Sriramulu, when he had a high, had chased him all the way to Medikeri to handover the resignation letter in person, and Bopiah has no excuse to reject it.

Only way left is: Sriramulu has to withdraw resignation. He is expected to write to the speaker shortly, but there is no guarantee Bopiah returning the resignation letter immediately. He has to wait for the party signal. And the party still doesn’t know what exactly is in its interest.

The dance drama will continue.