Thursday, September 26, 2013

Why do many India MPs have criminal records?

"We need to build a consensus on how to prevent individuals with a criminal record from contesting elections."

A necessary, even obvious fundamental you would think of building the world's largest democracy.

And when Sonia Gandhi, India's most powerful politician, uttered those words three years ago, even her main opponent, the leader of the BJP agreed.

Yet since then, things have gone in the opposite direction - with more alleged lawbreakers among India's lawmakers than ever, a third of the current parliament according to a watchdog called the Association for Democratic Reforms.

By some calculations, politicians with a criminal record are more likely to be elected than those with a clean slate - because, says the ADR, they have more illicit funds with which to buy votes. Full story...

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  2. Jawaharlal Nehru 'would be ashamed of today's greedy, corrupt India'
  3. A "caged parrot" - Indian judge describes top police agency in coalgate scandal...
  4. " Politicians in India have looted the country more than the British did..."
  5. Obama called a war criminal in Irish Parliament...

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