Dharamsala: Deploring the criminalization of Indian politics, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar termed the union cabinet decision to bring an ordinance to save convicted leaders as most unfortunate.
Talking to reporters here, he said that the government in the monsoon session had brought a bill which was referred to the Parliament’s Standing Committee for review. 
“Now without waiting for its report, the government rushing through with an ordinance is most deplorable. It would only increase criminalization of Indian democracy,” he said.
Only recently in Muzzaffarpur, 50 innocents were killed and another 40 thousand have been rendered homeless. This is a consequence of criminalization of politics, he added.
He cautioned that the situation was grave in the country for an emerging mafia system of democracy was becoming evident and government systems were being thwarted.
Shanta Kumar pointed out that in the last decade not more than 10 leaders had been sentenced to 2 or more years in jail.
Just to save these 10 leaders, evoking an ordinance was a shameful humiliation of 130 crore people living in this democracy.
He said that it was heartening that the opposition had decided to oppose it. The senior leader appealed that the President of India should reject such an ordinance.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
