“That is exactly what our politicians have been trying to do, since India’s independence. We know what has happened to our country since then.”

So let’s stop living a good life here onwards coz our politicians have not been able to provide us a good life till date!!!
Does anyone over here agree ’self-reliance and resilience’ means the freedom to decide how much money and from whom one can take to cast his vote for him?

“Laws should be enforced strictly.” That is exactly what our politicians have been trying to do, since India’s independence. We know what has happened to our country since then.

Pray do let us know what those illegal expenditures are? Giving someone a few hundred bucks for a vote is illegal? I wouldn’t think so. A person like me would just take the money and give my !vote to whomsoever I may want.

If our people are not capable of understanding this, then maybe we do not need democracy at all. Fools should never be allowed to participate in governance, Aristotle hath said.

The Government’s job is not to control the lives of the citizenry, but to instill the values of self-reliance and resilience.

Please try to find a better word than ‘touting’ while commenting on a blog !

Elections have expenses of which some are legal and others illegal. The legal expenses include the cost of banners, posters, vehicles etc where there is a limit set by the govt. on these expenses that is Rs 10 lakh for an assembly constituency. It might have sounded as a handsome amount a decade back, but today it is just insufficient keeping in mind the costs involved. So the “time’s need” is to have a reasonable amount as the spending limit, so that the candidates need not have to lie on their legal spending.

However the concern is the illegal expenses, which is not being affected anyway whether there is a spending limit or not. The only way to tackle the problem is making the enforcing agencies more vigil and giving them the authority to take stringent actions, of course with accountability.

Yes, I repeat, the solution lies in enforcing the law strictly, not by doing away with them. What we could see in Bihar last election, we can always see the same across India.

For that we need not live in China !!!

Regards
Tara Prasad

>But at the same time we cannot remove the spending limit as a whole, because that is not the solution.

Why not? Is this conventional wisdom you are touting?

>The solution lies in enforcing the law, strictly!

This is Republic of India, and not People’s Republic of China. People do not respond well to authority, unless it is the invisible hand of the free markets. Set them free, and watch them work for themselves.

>At the same time we have to make the law more applicable by revising it to suit the time’s need!

Huh? So what is the time’s need?

We cannot always take the law for a ride, and if the enforcing agency is really willing to enforce the law, it becomes a nightmare for the violators! The brightest of the examples is the last general elections in Bihar, where many of us remember how the election commissioner personally toured every nook and corner in Bihar, sometime even on motorcycle, to ensure everything to be free and fair!

But to be very frank, how many times does it happen? You, me and everyone knows the answer! Corrupt people do get away through many loop holes that exist. It is the honest ones who suffer! But at the same time we cannot remove the spending limit as a whole, because that is not the solution.

The solution lies in enforcing the law, strictly! It is time we have to find alternative ways to do so, rather than the traditional ones! At the same time we have to make the law more applicable by revising it to suit the time’s need!
Regards
Tara Prasad

Expense limits give honest people a chance to contest election and those spending out of limit are always in danger of being caught or tipped of by someone.

What author is suggesting is like because you can not enforce a law or can not catch the culprit make the offence legal.

http://www.lok-paritran.org/?q=node/539

>Disproportionate accumulation of wealth in the hands of few is proof that democracy is not working in a society and it is happening in India.

It is disproportionate spending that is the *real* indicator of the failure of democracy.

JC,

>Today the fear of getting caught may deter or moderate cheating.

For one, it is difficult, even for the vigilance agencies to track and prevent political parties from spending black money in election campaigns.

>In case the limits are totally removed all we will achieve is add corporate lackies to tax evaders in influencing politics.

At this point of time, some corporate influence in Indian politics wouldn’t be too bad. This will eventually pave the path to freer markets. It is too much influence which is bad.

In any case, democracy is ingrained in our culture, even though it is corrupt. The poor don’t have money, but they do have collective bargaining power (votes).

I think a removal of restrictions on private political spending should be removed as it is an unneeded hindrance to political parties by the courtesy of obsolete laws.