2009 general election
Women MPs, MLAs too have criminal records
New Delhi, 2009 Guess what? Kerala, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are the states with the highest
percentage of women legislators with criminal records while Assam, Jharkhand and Rajasthan
are some of the cleanest, says a study.
On the whole, about 13 percent of women legislators in states and 14 percent of women MPs in
the 14th Lok Sabha had criminal records, says the study by PRS Legislative Research based on
affidavits filed by candidates with the Election Commission up to 2007.
The study by the independent research initiative suggests that women leaders don't lag behind
when it comes to having criminal records or amassing wealth.
A total of 51 women are in the 545-member Lok Sabha while 280 are women among 4,120
legislators across all state assemblies.
The survey shows that 83 percent women legislators have criminal records in Kerala, while the
figure is 25 percent for Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
The other states that have women MLAs with criminal records are Madhya Pradesh (22 percent),
Karnataka (20 percent), Tamil Nadu (19 percent), Haryana and Orissa (18 percent), Maharashtra
and Punjab (17 percent), Uttar Pradesh (13 percent), Andhra Pradesh (eight percent) and West
Bengal (six percent).
However, in 11 states, women legislators do not have any kind of criminal record. The states are
Assam, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tripura and Uttarakhand.
The survey names seven women MPs with criminal charges, and topping the list is Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati who has in the past been booked for cheating, forgery and
criminal conspiracy. She is no longer an MP as she is now Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
There are two from Kerala -- the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) P. Satheedevi and
C.S. Sujatha -- booked for unlawful assembly and rioting. Also in the list of women MPs 'with
criminal charges' based on affidavits filed in 2004 is Suryakanta Patil from the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP), accused of misusing a charitable institution.
Two Shiv Sena MPs are there too, Narhire Kalpana Ramesh for wrongful restraint and Bhavana
Pundlikrao under the Bombay Police Act.
Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury appears in the list for obstructing a
public servant in discharging his duties.
Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of the Association for Democratic Reforms and National
Election Watch, said he is not surprised by the findings.
'It is easy to see that such women are either the wife or a relative of an influential politician. How
did they come on top in politics - by depending on men. In such a situation, it is not surprising to
find them involved in corruption or criminal cases,' said Bairwal, whose organisations work for
improving governance and strengthening democracy.
The survey also states that many women legislators are richer than their male counterparts.
Over 30 percent of women MPs have assets worth more than Rs.1.5 crore. The figure is 14.3
percent for members of legislative assemblies (MLAs).
Similarly, 26 percent of women MPs have assets between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.1.5 crore while the
figure is 21 percent for MLAs.
In Himachal Pradesh, most women MLAs' assets have been put at more than Rs.1.5 crore.
'Three of the five women MLAs in Himachal Pradesh have household assets worth more than
Rs.1.5 crore.'
Richest politicians
A lean bare man on the banks of a river near Champaran, his eyes moist with sadness, letting go
of his shawl for a poor woman downstream to cover herself and her child. This poignant moment
from Richard Attenborough's biopic on Gandhi is perhaps the most eloquent image of selfless
politics.
The gentle giant loved as Bapu and revered as the Mahatma epitomised the philosophy of public
service as one who gave up everything to be one among the huddled millions. Nearly a century
later there is little evidence in reel or real life of the high moral ground once straddled by that
generation.
The brazen parade of the Prada Prado set zipping across cities in cavalcades, appropriating
security funded by public money is evidence that politics has since morphed into a largely self-
serving enterprise. The pretense of khadi and Gandhian values went out of vogue with the
Gandhi cap long before the Gucci generation stormed the political arena in the 1980s.
The transition is best described by Rajiv Gandhi who said at the Congress Centenary in Mumbai
in 1985 that politics has been reduced to brokers of power and influence, who dispense
patronage to convert mass movement into feudal oligarchy . Yes there are those who enter
politics to serve the public cause but they are exceptions rather than the rule. Entering public life
is now an investment of time and effort for dividends to be earned from political
entrepreneurship. A joint study by INDIA TODAY and EmpoweringIndia.org (an initiative of the
Liberty Institute) of the reported assets of our elected representatives reveals a startling contrast
between the rulers and the ruled.
In a country where over 77 per cent of the populace, or an estimated 836 million people, earn an
income of Rs 20 per day and over 300 million are living below the poverty line, nearly half the
Rajya Sabha members and nearly a third of those from the Lok Sabha are worth a crore and
more. Just the top ten Rajya Sabha members and the top ten Lok Sabha members have
reported a cumulative net asset worth Rs 1,500 crore. The 10 top losers in the last Lok Sabha
polls including Nyimthungo of Nagaland who reported total assets of Rs 9,005 crore is Rs 9,329
crore. Members of legislative assemblies seem wealthier than many MPs. The top five MLAs
across the 30 states are worth Rs 2,042 crore. Of these 150 crorepati MLAs, 59 don't even have
a PAN card.
1. T. Subbarami Reddy
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Andhra Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 239.6 cr
2. Jaya Bachchan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 214.3 cr
3. Rahul Bajaj
Independent
Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra
Total Assets: Rs 190. 6 cr
4. Anil H. Lad
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 175 cr
5. M. Krishnappa
Indian National Congress
MLA, Vijay Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 136 cr
6. MAM Ramaswamy
Janata Dal (Secular)
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets Rs 107.7 cr
7. Anand Singh
BJP
MLA, Vijayanagara, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 239 cr
8. Anil V. Salgaocar
Independent
MLA, Sanvordem, Goa
Total Assets: Rs 91.4 cr
9. N.A. Haris
Indian National Congress
MLA, Shanti Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 85.3 cr
10. Mahendra Mohan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 85 cr
And don't look for a correlation between the state of the state and the wealth of the legislators.
Uttar Pradesh boasts of the largest number of people 59 million or over a third of its population
living below the poverty line. Not only is Mayawati the richest chief minister in 30 states, the
state also boasts of 113 crorepati MLAs. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh which has over 25 million of
the 60 million people living below the poverty line boasts of 80 crorepati MLAs. The Marxists are
the stark exception in this study too. The CPI(M) has 301 MLAs across 10 states but has only two
MLAs with declared assets of over Rs 1 crore. Of the 537 candidates who contested on a CPI(M)
ticket, only seven had assets of over Rs 1 crore, of which five lost in the elections.
As the old maxim goes, power begets power and money attracts riches. Clearly, it pays to be in
power. Take the last round of Assembly elections which afforded the study an opportunity to
compare the increase in wealth. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the BJP was in power,
the average assets of candidates increased by five times.
In Karnataka too where the Congress ruled in rotation with Deve Gowda's JD(S), Congress
candidates reported a fivefold rise in their assets. Mercifully, wealth doesn't always ensure
success. In all, 365 crorepatis contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004; 88 lost their deposits,
and 114 came second.
Last December in Delhi the Congress learnt this important lesson again when they found that
Congress candidates who lost in Delhi were on an average richer than those who won. But
wealth clearly does matter, all other things being constant.
The caveat emptor here, as with all matters concerning transparency in public life, is that we are
going by what the political class has chosen to declare. After all, the statement of assets filed by
candidates is at best a confession of sorts mandated by two Supreme Court judgements of May
2002 and March 2003.
There are several gaps in the information available. Of the 542 Lok Sabha members, details of
assets are available for only 522. Similarly in the Rajya Sabha, only 215 members have filed
details of assets.
There is no institutional mechanism to cross-check facts, nor is there a requirement for
candidates to declare the source of wealth, or the increase in wealth of candidates in subsequent
declarations. In Mizoram for instance, none of the 10 top candidates have reported possessing a
PAN card even though their wealth is in excess of Rs 1 crore.
What is worse is that although MPs who are ministers file annual statements of their assets, the
information is not available to the public. This virtually negates the concept of scrutiny that would
prevent misuse of position of power and enrichment. Indeed, what should be openly available is
denied even under the Right to Information Act.
It is tragic that the Office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has been described as
w‰>ÿÿ‹>s Dÿÿ"DoVDk
o deny the information. Again, while Central ministers are required to file a statement of assets,
there is no such requirement for ministers in states.
The adulterous cohabitation of power and pelf is conspicuous across the political spectrum. The
chasm between the declared and perceived reality is all too obvious to be missed. Contrast the
wealth reported and wealthy lifestyles of those elected to high office.
Clearly the tip of the benami iceberg has not even been touched. In a country with a stark
asymmetry in opportunities and ability, political power enables bending and twisting of policy,
converting politics into the elevator politicians ride to reach the pot of gold. Living room
conversations in middle and upper middle class homes are dotted with whose son, daughter or
son-in-law is raking it in using the benami route to accumulate property and assets.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Mamata declares her humble assets
Kolkata,While billionaire politicians are grabbing headlines, Trinamool Congress party chief
Mamata Banerjee Wednesday declared assets worth Rs.4.73 lakh (Rs.473,000). She does not
own a car or a house.
The 54-year-old Trinamool leader filed her nomination from the Kolkata-South Lok Sabha
constituency.
She has Rs.28,322 in cash and Rs.118,740 (Rs.1.8 lakh) in bank deposits, according to an
affidavit she submitted.
Banerjee - who has no bonds, debentures or shares in any company - has an investment of
Rs.302,600 in National Savings Certificates and Rs.10,000 in National Savings Scheme. Her
main source of income has been from her salary as an MP and royalty from books she has
authored.
The West Bengal opposition party chief owns about 10 gm of jewellery worth Rs.13,531 and has
no other type of movable assets.
Banerjee, a post-graduate with a law degree, has no bank loans pending against her and has
paid income tax of Rs.20,000 in advance for 2009-10, the affidavit states.
Banerjee's opponent from Kolkata South constituency Rabin Deb of the Communist Party of
India-Marxist has assets of over Rs.20 lakh (Rs.2 million).
Thursday, April 23, 2009
2009 general election
Women MPs, MLAs too have criminal records
New Delhi, 2009 Guess what? Kerala, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are the states with the highest
percentage of women legislators with criminal records while Assam, Jharkhand and Rajasthan
are some of the cleanest, says a study.
On the whole, about 13 percent of women legislators in states and 14 percent of women MPs in
the 14th Lok Sabha had criminal records, says the study by PRS Legislative Research based on
affidavits filed by candidates with the Election Commission up to 2007.
The study by the independent research initiative suggests that women leaders don't lag behind
when it comes to having criminal records or amassing wealth.
A total of 51 women are in the 545-member Lok Sabha while 280 are women among 4,120
legislators across all state assemblies.
The survey shows that 83 percent women legislators have criminal records in Kerala, while the
figure is 25 percent for Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
The other states that have women MLAs with criminal records are Madhya Pradesh (22 percent),
Karnataka (20 percent), Tamil Nadu (19 percent), Haryana and Orissa (18 percent), Maharashtra
and Punjab (17 percent), Uttar Pradesh (13 percent), Andhra Pradesh (eight percent) and West
Bengal (six percent).
However, in 11 states, women legislators do not have any kind of criminal record. The states are
Assam, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tripura and Uttarakhand.
The survey names seven women MPs with criminal charges, and topping the list is Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati who has in the past been booked for cheating, forgery and
criminal conspiracy. She is no longer an MP as she is now Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
There are two from Kerala -- the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) P. Satheedevi and
C.S. Sujatha -- booked for unlawful assembly and rioting. Also in the list of women MPs 'with
criminal charges' based on affidavits filed in 2004 is Suryakanta Patil from the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP), accused of misusing a charitable institution.
Two Shiv Sena MPs are there too, Narhire Kalpana Ramesh for wrongful restraint and Bhavana
Pundlikrao under the Bombay Police Act.
Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury appears in the list for obstructing a
public servant in discharging his duties.
Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of the Association for Democratic Reforms and National
Election Watch, said he is not surprised by the findings.
'It is easy to see that such women are either the wife or a relative of an influential politician. How
did they come on top in politics - by depending on men. In such a situation, it is not surprising to
find them involved in corruption or criminal cases,' said Bairwal, whose organisations work for
improving governance and strengthening democracy.
The survey also states that many women legislators are richer than their male counterparts.
Over 30 percent of women MPs have assets worth more than Rs.1.5 crore. The figure is 14.3
percent for members of legislative assemblies (MLAs).
Similarly, 26 percent of women MPs have assets between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.1.5 crore while the
figure is 21 percent for MLAs.
In Himachal Pradesh, most women MLAs' assets have been put at more than Rs.1.5 crore.
'Three of the five women MLAs in Himachal Pradesh have household assets worth more than
Rs.1.5 crore.'
Richest politicians
A lean bare man on the banks of a river near Champaran, his eyes moist with sadness, letting go
of his shawl for a poor woman downstream to cover herself and her child. This poignant moment
from Richard Attenborough's biopic on Gandhi is perhaps the most eloquent image of selfless
politics.
The gentle giant loved as Bapu and revered as the Mahatma epitomised the philosophy of public
service as one who gave up everything to be one among the huddled millions. Nearly a century
later there is little evidence in reel or real life of the high moral ground once straddled by that
generation.
The brazen parade of the Prada Prado set zipping across cities in cavalcades, appropriating
security funded by public money is evidence that politics has since morphed into a largely self-
serving enterprise. The pretense of khadi and Gandhian values went out of vogue with the
Gandhi cap long before the Gucci generation stormed the political arena in the 1980s.
The transition is best described by Rajiv Gandhi who said at the Congress Centenary in Mumbai
in 1985 that politics has been reduced to brokers of power and influence, who dispense
patronage to convert mass movement into feudal oligarchy . Yes there are those who enter
politics to serve the public cause but they are exceptions rather than the rule. Entering public life
is now an investment of time and effort for dividends to be earned from political
entrepreneurship. A joint study by INDIA TODAY and EmpoweringIndia.org (an initiative of the
Liberty Institute) of the reported assets of our elected representatives reveals a startling contrast
between the rulers and the ruled.
In a country where over 77 per cent of the populace, or an estimated 836 million people, earn an
income of Rs 20 per day and over 300 million are living below the poverty line, nearly half the
Rajya Sabha members and nearly a third of those from the Lok Sabha are worth a crore and
more. Just the top ten Rajya Sabha members and the top ten Lok Sabha members have
reported a cumulative net asset worth Rs 1,500 crore. The 10 top losers in the last Lok Sabha
polls including Nyimthungo of Nagaland who reported total assets of Rs 9,005 crore is Rs 9,329
crore. Members of legislative assemblies seem wealthier than many MPs. The top five MLAs
across the 30 states are worth Rs 2,042 crore. Of these 150 crorepati MLAs, 59 don't even have
a PAN card.
1. T. Subbarami Reddy
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Andhra Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 239.6 cr
2. Jaya Bachchan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 214.3 cr
3. Rahul Bajaj
Independent
Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra
Total Assets: Rs 190. 6 cr
4. Anil H. Lad
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 175 cr
5. M. Krishnappa
Indian National Congress
MLA, Vijay Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 136 cr
6. MAM Ramaswamy
Janata Dal (Secular)
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets Rs 107.7 cr
7. Anand Singh
BJP
MLA, Vijayanagara, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 239 cr
8. Anil V. Salgaocar
Independent
MLA, Sanvordem, Goa
Total Assets: Rs 91.4 cr
9. N.A. Haris
Indian National Congress
MLA, Shanti Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 85.3 cr
10. Mahendra Mohan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 85 cr
And don't look for a correlation between the state of the state and the wealth of the legislators.
Uttar Pradesh boasts of the largest number of people 59 million or over a third of its population
living below the poverty line. Not only is Mayawati the richest chief minister in 30 states, the
state also boasts of 113 crorepati MLAs. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh which has over 25 million of
the 60 million people living below the poverty line boasts of 80 crorepati MLAs. The Marxists are
the stark exception in this study too. The CPI(M) has 301 MLAs across 10 states but has only two
MLAs with declared assets of over Rs 1 crore. Of the 537 candidates who contested on a CPI(M)
ticket, only seven had assets of over Rs 1 crore, of which five lost in the elections.
As the old maxim goes, power begets power and money attracts riches. Clearly, it pays to be in
power. Take the last round of Assembly elections which afforded the study an opportunity to
compare the increase in wealth. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the BJP was in power,
the average assets of candidates increased by five times.
In Karnataka too where the Congress ruled in rotation with Deve Gowda's JD(S), Congress
candidates reported a fivefold rise in their assets. Mercifully, wealth doesn't always ensure
success. In all, 365 crorepatis contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004; 88 lost their deposits,
and 114 came second.
Last December in Delhi the Congress learnt this important lesson again when they found that
Congress candidates who lost in Delhi were on an average richer than those who won. But
wealth clearly does matter, all other things being constant.
The caveat emptor here, as with all matters concerning transparency in public life, is that we are
going by what the political class has chosen to declare. After all, the statement of assets filed by
candidates is at best a confession of sorts mandated by two Supreme Court judgements of May
2002 and March 2003.
There are several gaps in the information available. Of the 542 Lok Sabha members, details of
assets are available for only 522. Similarly in the Rajya Sabha, only 215 members have filed
details of assets.
There is no institutional mechanism to cross-check facts, nor is there a requirement for
candidates to declare the source of wealth, or the increase in wealth of candidates in subsequent
declarations. In Mizoram for instance, none of the 10 top candidates have reported possessing a
PAN card even though their wealth is in excess of Rs 1 crore.
What is worse is that although MPs who are ministers file annual statements of their assets, the
information is not available to the public. This virtually negates the concept of scrutiny that would
prevent misuse of position of power and enrichment. Indeed, what should be openly available is
denied even under the Right to Information Act.
It is tragic that the Office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has been described as
w‰>ÿÿ‹>s Dÿÿ"DoVDk
o deny the information. Again, while Central ministers are required to file a statement of assets,
there is no such requirement for ministers in states.
The adulterous cohabitation of power and pelf is conspicuous across the political spectrum. The
chasm between the declared and perceived reality is all too obvious to be missed. Contrast the
wealth reported and wealthy lifestyles of those elected to high office.
Clearly the tip of the benami iceberg has not even been touched. In a country with a stark
asymmetry in opportunities and ability, political power enables bending and twisting of policy,
converting politics into the elevator politicians ride to reach the pot of gold. Living room
conversations in middle and upper middle class homes are dotted with whose son, daughter or
son-in-law is raking it in using the benami route to accumulate property and assets.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Mamata declares her humble assets
Kolkata,While billionaire politicians are grabbing headlines, Trinamool Congress party chief
Mamata Banerjee Wednesday declared assets worth Rs.4.73 lakh (Rs.473,000). She does not
own a car or a house.
The 54-year-old Trinamool leader filed her nomination from the Kolkata-South Lok Sabha
constituency.
She has Rs.28,322 in cash and Rs.118,740 (Rs.1.8 lakh) in bank deposits, according to an
affidavit she submitted.
Banerjee - who has no bonds, debentures or shares in any company - has an investment of
Rs.302,600 in National Savings Certificates and Rs.10,000 in National Savings Scheme. Her
main source of income has been from her salary as an MP and royalty from books she has
authored.
The West Bengal opposition party chief owns about 10 gm of jewellery worth Rs.13,531 and has
no other type of movable assets.
Banerjee, a post-graduate with a law degree, has no bank loans pending against her and has
paid income tax of Rs.20,000 in advance for 2009-10, the affidavit states.
Banerjee's opponent from Kolkata South constituency Rabin Deb of the Communist Party of
India-Marxist has assets of over Rs.20 lakh (Rs.2 million).
Women MPs, MLAs too have criminal records
New Delhi, 2009 Guess what? Kerala, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are the states with the highest
percentage of women legislators with criminal records while Assam, Jharkhand and Rajasthan
are some of the cleanest, says a study.
On the whole, about 13 percent of women legislators in states and 14 percent of women MPs in
the 14th Lok Sabha had criminal records, says the study by PRS Legislative Research based on
affidavits filed by candidates with the Election Commission up to 2007.
The study by the independent research initiative suggests that women leaders don't lag behind
when it comes to having criminal records or amassing wealth.
A total of 51 women are in the 545-member Lok Sabha while 280 are women among 4,120
legislators across all state assemblies.
The survey shows that 83 percent women legislators have criminal records in Kerala, while the
figure is 25 percent for Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
The other states that have women MLAs with criminal records are Madhya Pradesh (22 percent),
Karnataka (20 percent), Tamil Nadu (19 percent), Haryana and Orissa (18 percent), Maharashtra
and Punjab (17 percent), Uttar Pradesh (13 percent), Andhra Pradesh (eight percent) and West
Bengal (six percent).
However, in 11 states, women legislators do not have any kind of criminal record. The states are
Assam, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tripura and Uttarakhand.
The survey names seven women MPs with criminal charges, and topping the list is Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati who has in the past been booked for cheating, forgery and
criminal conspiracy. She is no longer an MP as she is now Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
There are two from Kerala -- the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) P. Satheedevi and
C.S. Sujatha -- booked for unlawful assembly and rioting. Also in the list of women MPs 'with
criminal charges' based on affidavits filed in 2004 is Suryakanta Patil from the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP), accused of misusing a charitable institution.
Two Shiv Sena MPs are there too, Narhire Kalpana Ramesh for wrongful restraint and Bhavana
Pundlikrao under the Bombay Police Act.
Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury appears in the list for obstructing a
public servant in discharging his duties.
Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of the Association for Democratic Reforms and National
Election Watch, said he is not surprised by the findings.
'It is easy to see that such women are either the wife or a relative of an influential politician. How
did they come on top in politics - by depending on men. In such a situation, it is not surprising to
find them involved in corruption or criminal cases,' said Bairwal, whose organisations work for
improving governance and strengthening democracy.
The survey also states that many women legislators are richer than their male counterparts.
Over 30 percent of women MPs have assets worth more than Rs.1.5 crore. The figure is 14.3
percent for members of legislative assemblies (MLAs).
Similarly, 26 percent of women MPs have assets between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.1.5 crore while the
figure is 21 percent for MLAs.
In Himachal Pradesh, most women MLAs' assets have been put at more than Rs.1.5 crore.
'Three of the five women MLAs in Himachal Pradesh have household assets worth more than
Rs.1.5 crore.'
Richest politicians
A lean bare man on the banks of a river near Champaran, his eyes moist with sadness, letting go
of his shawl for a poor woman downstream to cover herself and her child. This poignant moment
from Richard Attenborough's biopic on Gandhi is perhaps the most eloquent image of selfless
politics.
The gentle giant loved as Bapu and revered as the Mahatma epitomised the philosophy of public
service as one who gave up everything to be one among the huddled millions. Nearly a century
later there is little evidence in reel or real life of the high moral ground once straddled by that
generation.
The brazen parade of the Prada Prado set zipping across cities in cavalcades, appropriating
security funded by public money is evidence that politics has since morphed into a largely self-
serving enterprise. The pretense of khadi and Gandhian values went out of vogue with the
Gandhi cap long before the Gucci generation stormed the political arena in the 1980s.
The transition is best described by Rajiv Gandhi who said at the Congress Centenary in Mumbai
in 1985 that politics has been reduced to brokers of power and influence, who dispense
patronage to convert mass movement into feudal oligarchy . Yes there are those who enter
politics to serve the public cause but they are exceptions rather than the rule. Entering public life
is now an investment of time and effort for dividends to be earned from political
entrepreneurship. A joint study by INDIA TODAY and EmpoweringIndia.org (an initiative of the
Liberty Institute) of the reported assets of our elected representatives reveals a startling contrast
between the rulers and the ruled.
In a country where over 77 per cent of the populace, or an estimated 836 million people, earn an
income of Rs 20 per day and over 300 million are living below the poverty line, nearly half the
Rajya Sabha members and nearly a third of those from the Lok Sabha are worth a crore and
more. Just the top ten Rajya Sabha members and the top ten Lok Sabha members have
reported a cumulative net asset worth Rs 1,500 crore. The 10 top losers in the last Lok Sabha
polls including Nyimthungo of Nagaland who reported total assets of Rs 9,005 crore is Rs 9,329
crore. Members of legislative assemblies seem wealthier than many MPs. The top five MLAs
across the 30 states are worth Rs 2,042 crore. Of these 150 crorepati MLAs, 59 don't even have
a PAN card.
1. T. Subbarami Reddy
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Andhra Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 239.6 cr
2. Jaya Bachchan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 214.3 cr
3. Rahul Bajaj
Independent
Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra
Total Assets: Rs 190. 6 cr
4. Anil H. Lad
Indian National Congress
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 175 cr
5. M. Krishnappa
Indian National Congress
MLA, Vijay Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 136 cr
6. MAM Ramaswamy
Janata Dal (Secular)
Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Total Assets Rs 107.7 cr
7. Anand Singh
BJP
MLA, Vijayanagara, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 239 cr
8. Anil V. Salgaocar
Independent
MLA, Sanvordem, Goa
Total Assets: Rs 91.4 cr
9. N.A. Haris
Indian National Congress
MLA, Shanti Nagar, Karnataka
Total Assets: Rs 85.3 cr
10. Mahendra Mohan
Samajwadi Party
Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh
Total Assets: Rs 85 cr
And don't look for a correlation between the state of the state and the wealth of the legislators.
Uttar Pradesh boasts of the largest number of people 59 million or over a third of its population
living below the poverty line. Not only is Mayawati the richest chief minister in 30 states, the
state also boasts of 113 crorepati MLAs. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh which has over 25 million of
the 60 million people living below the poverty line boasts of 80 crorepati MLAs. The Marxists are
the stark exception in this study too. The CPI(M) has 301 MLAs across 10 states but has only two
MLAs with declared assets of over Rs 1 crore. Of the 537 candidates who contested on a CPI(M)
ticket, only seven had assets of over Rs 1 crore, of which five lost in the elections.
As the old maxim goes, power begets power and money attracts riches. Clearly, it pays to be in
power. Take the last round of Assembly elections which afforded the study an opportunity to
compare the increase in wealth. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the BJP was in power,
the average assets of candidates increased by five times.
In Karnataka too where the Congress ruled in rotation with Deve Gowda's JD(S), Congress
candidates reported a fivefold rise in their assets. Mercifully, wealth doesn't always ensure
success. In all, 365 crorepatis contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004; 88 lost their deposits,
and 114 came second.
Last December in Delhi the Congress learnt this important lesson again when they found that
Congress candidates who lost in Delhi were on an average richer than those who won. But
wealth clearly does matter, all other things being constant.
The caveat emptor here, as with all matters concerning transparency in public life, is that we are
going by what the political class has chosen to declare. After all, the statement of assets filed by
candidates is at best a confession of sorts mandated by two Supreme Court judgements of May
2002 and March 2003.
There are several gaps in the information available. Of the 542 Lok Sabha members, details of
assets are available for only 522. Similarly in the Rajya Sabha, only 215 members have filed
details of assets.
There is no institutional mechanism to cross-check facts, nor is there a requirement for
candidates to declare the source of wealth, or the increase in wealth of candidates in subsequent
declarations. In Mizoram for instance, none of the 10 top candidates have reported possessing a
PAN card even though their wealth is in excess of Rs 1 crore.
What is worse is that although MPs who are ministers file annual statements of their assets, the
information is not available to the public. This virtually negates the concept of scrutiny that would
prevent misuse of position of power and enrichment. Indeed, what should be openly available is
denied even under the Right to Information Act.
It is tragic that the Office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has been described as
w‰>ÿÿ‹>s Dÿÿ"DoVDk
o deny the information. Again, while Central ministers are required to file a statement of assets,
there is no such requirement for ministers in states.
The adulterous cohabitation of power and pelf is conspicuous across the political spectrum. The
chasm between the declared and perceived reality is all too obvious to be missed. Contrast the
wealth reported and wealthy lifestyles of those elected to high office.
Clearly the tip of the benami iceberg has not even been touched. In a country with a stark
asymmetry in opportunities and ability, political power enables bending and twisting of policy,
converting politics into the elevator politicians ride to reach the pot of gold. Living room
conversations in middle and upper middle class homes are dotted with whose son, daughter or
son-in-law is raking it in using the benami route to accumulate property and assets.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Television footage of currency notes being waved in Parliament during the last trust vote, the
airborne campaigns witnessed during the polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, money spent
in fielding dummy candidates, funding of party offices, travel in Toyota SUVs costing over Rs 75
lakh each and private charters that politicians avail of to fly within the country are all pointers that
are hard to ignore.
Bankers and brokers talk in not so hushed tones about the role of politicians in corporate scams.
There is also speculation about the real beneficiary and benami ownership of at least two
airlines, several real estate ventures, pharmaceutical units and infrastructure companies. The
corporate concept of 'sleeping partner' has a whole new connotation in the political world. As long
as the real incomes, wealth and funding of politicians remain opaque, governance will continue
to suffer and democracy will be rendered more often on the liability side in the balance sheet of
development.
Mamata declares her humble assets
Kolkata,While billionaire politicians are grabbing headlines, Trinamool Congress party chief
Mamata Banerjee Wednesday declared assets worth Rs.4.73 lakh (Rs.473,000). She does not
own a car or a house.
The 54-year-old Trinamool leader filed her nomination from the Kolkata-South Lok Sabha
constituency.
She has Rs.28,322 in cash and Rs.118,740 (Rs.1.8 lakh) in bank deposits, according to an
affidavit she submitted.
Banerjee - who has no bonds, debentures or shares in any company - has an investment of
Rs.302,600 in National Savings Certificates and Rs.10,000 in National Savings Scheme. Her
main source of income has been from her salary as an MP and royalty from books she has
authored.
The West Bengal opposition party chief owns about 10 gm of jewellery worth Rs.13,531 and has
no other type of movable assets.
Banerjee, a post-graduate with a law degree, has no bank loans pending against her and has
paid income tax of Rs.20,000 in advance for 2009-10, the affidavit states.
Banerjee's opponent from Kolkata South constituency Rabin Deb of the Communist Party of
India-Marxist has assets of over Rs.20 lakh (Rs.2 million).
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