Somnath lashes out at falling standards in politic

Noting that communalisation and criminalisation have "greatly vitiated" the political system of the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee warned on Sunday that the future of democracy can face serious problems if urgent corrective steps are not taken.
    
He observed that "degeneration of the electoral system" has been corroding the true representative and democratic
character of the country's polity and contributing to the growing political apathy among the people.
    
Regretting that the country today has a "fractured polity, which is almost totally governed by politics of confrontation, if not hatred of each other", he exhorted the "young educated sections" particularly not to remain mute spectators to these "aberrations" in the system but become catalysts of redemption.
    
Chatterjee said the image of Parliament and the political class as a whole reached its "nadir" on July 22 last year when
"unprecedented shameful events" took place during the trust vote with three Bharatiya Janata Party members displaying wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha and alleging the money was paid to them as bribe for votes.
    
"Communalisation and criminalisation of politics has greatly vitiated our political system," he said addressing the convocation at Delhi University.

"The malaise of corruption and the influence of money and muscle power along with the use of religion in our electoral process and the resultant aberrations of our political functioning are matters that should engage the attention of all responsible citizens," Chatterjee said.
    
He said, "degeneration of the electoral system as a result of illegal and immoral practices used in many places for winning elections has been corroding the true representative and democratic character of our polity and contributing to the growing political apathy among the people".
    
Chatterjee, who has announced his retirement from politics after the term of the current Lok Sabha comes to an end, noted as a matter of "grave concern" disillusionment and cynicism creeping in among the people about the functioning of the country's democratic structure.
    
"Most unfortunately and rather alarmingly, issues like intolerance, divisiveness, corruption, confrontations and disrespect for dissent are increasingly vitiating our socio-political system," he said.
    
Raising questions over overall conduct and "demeanour" of elected representatives and bodies, he said, "If urgent
corrective measures are not taken pro-actively by all concerned, it will create serious problems for the future of our democracy."