Death of Indian Democracy

Horsetrading has begun in real earnest in the capital to save or topple the Congress-led UPA
government. The present government will either remain or exit depending on the purchasing power of the side concerned.
We all know in India that most MPs and MlAs are hardcore criminals. In fact, having a criminal
record and muscle power are two of the important criteria for being selected for a seat in Parliament or state legislature. Winning an election for such criminals is no problem. The goons
will see to it that the don wins.
In the present scenerio we find that the government's sutvival or fall is in the hands of six hardcore criminals already jailed for various heinous crimes. I give the list below :

1) Pappu Yadav alias Rajesh Ranjan - RJD MP from Purnea, Bihar.
Sentenced in Feb. 2008 for life for murder of former CPM MLA Ajit Sarkar in 1998.

2) Suraj Bhan - LJSP MP from Balia, Bihar.
Sentenced to life imprisonment last month for murder of a farmer in 1992.

3) Afzal Ansari - SP MP from Ghazipur, UP. (brother of UP don Mukhtar Ansari) In jail facing
charges for murder of BJP MLA Krishanand Rai in 2005.

4) Ateeq Ahmad - MP from Phulpur, UP.
Charged in : 21 criminal cases, including some involving murder. One such was the murder
of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005.

5) Umakant Yadav - BSP MP from Machhlishahr, UP.
Jailed for razing shops and houses while trying forcibly occupying land in Azamgarh, UP in
2007.

6) Md. Sahabuddin - RJD MP from Siwan, Bihar.
Convicted in : 3 cases between March and August 2007; Life term for kidnapping leading
to murder of a trad er in 1999, 10 years for attack on Siwan SP in 1996 and 2 years for
attack on CPI(ML) office in 1998.

These criminals will, no doubt, be welcomed in Parliament by bouquets and garlands.
It's very strange and confusing why the Election Commission does not have the power to
withdraw the MP status once such criminals are charged and convicted. The antecedents of
each aspiring candidate should be thoroughly verified before accepting their nomination papers.
No known criminal should be allowed submit his nomination paper. The Times of India had
conducted such an excellent and innovative programme in "Lead India" to encourage young,
educated and honest youth to take active part in politics. But all the sincere efforts of TOI
will be in vain if these six criminals are allowed to defile the sanctity of Parliament
and permitted to vote. It is a much more heinous crime than the attack on the Parliament
House by terrorists.