Flourishing cash-for-votes practice has destroyed democracy, says Seeman

NTK chief coordinator Seeman criticizes cash-for-votes, corruption, and lack of representation in democracy, advocating for change and accountability.

The “flourishing practice” of distributing cash for votes has reduced democracy to a shameful money-powered politics, keeping the poor and the educated away from it, NTK chief coordinator Seeman said here on Friday.

Campaigning for S. Kaushik, his party’s candidate for the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Seeman, whose party is going it alone this time too, said “cash-for-votes” had created a situation wherein only the affluent could contest in elections. “Should not the poor come to politics? If that is the situation, the voice of the working class will not be heard in Parliament,” he said. Pointing out that corruption had become omni-present in society, he said natural resources were being looted.

“Money matters for everything, including for getting birth and death certificates. People pay through the nose for education and health, and have lost their right to education and medical treatment,” he added. He blamed the parties that had been ruling the country for long for this situation, and said, “The rulers have cheated the people with their sweet talk.”

Pointing to a hoarding on the road which said those giving and taking bribes for votes would be jailed for a year, he questioned whether even one person had been jailed for this.

Mr. Seeman further said that though his party was struggling to pay even the deposit sum to fight the election, vehicles of NTK functionaries were being checked by surveillance teams for cash.

“But those who distribute cash on the streets for votes roam free. Countermanding elections on charges of distribution of money is not at all a deterrent as the same candidate would win in the election the next time, providing more money,” he said. “Only if those found guilty of bribing voters are banned from elections for 10 years could this menace be addressed,” Mr. Seeman added.