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Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is absolutely right in saying that the incident on Vidhan Bhavan premises has made us hang our heads in shame.Last week, a violent clash broke out between supporters of two MLAs on the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan premises. Abuses were hurled, including disgraceful references to each other’s mothers and sisters, and clothes were torn, creating a shameful scene that has left Maharashtra utterly embarrassed. Everyone is asking: How can supporters or party workers behave like this? Were they workers or a gang of goons?In fact, the two persons mainly responsible for this incident have tainted records. Both Nitin Deshmukh, a supporter of NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Jitendra Awhad, and Sarjerao Baban Takle, a supporter of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar, have multiple cases already registered against them. Takle has even faced action under the MPDA Act. The most important question is how did these elements and others like them gain entry into Vidhan Bhavan premises? Takle did not even possess a valid entry pass. This is a serious breach of security. After the terrorist attack on Parliament, the entire country had hoped that security inside Vidhan Bhavans across the country would be watertight so that no one without a pass could enter. But this incident has raised new concerns. There is even talk that entry passes are being sold for `5,000 to `10,000. Is this really true?One side claims the incident was spontaneous, while the other alleges that it was pre-planned. For me or anyone else, it doesn’t really matter who started it, who hit more, who hurled more abuses or who tore more clothes. The real issue is where is Maharashtra’s politics headed? Yes, the State Legislative Assembly has witnessed heated debates in the past. Uproars and incidents of even throwing of paperweights have occurred. But those were relatively minor incidents. What happened recently on Vidhan Bhavan premises is unprecedented and utterly disgraceful. The chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was right to say that the incident has made us hang our heads in shame. Incidents like this may have happened in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But our Maharashtra was free from such incidents. So where did this contagion come from?The State Legislative Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar has strongly reprimanded the MLAs concerned and taken a major decision that visitors will no longer be allowed entry into Vidhan Bhavan. He has even instructed the ministers not to hold any meetings on Vidhan Bhavan premises and instead organise them in Mantralaya. However, the question is not limited to Vidhan Bhavan alone. The real concern is the changing character of politics in Maharashtra. We have always taken pride in the sanctity and integrity of Maharashtra’s political culture. I travel across the country and abroad and I proudly speak of the political purity of Maharashtra. But now, with what face can I talk about this political integrity? A doubt is beginning to take root in my mind: Has the dark shadow of criminal thinking begun to loom over our political landscape? Some people with a dominant, bullying nature in politics may not like what I’m saying. But who can deny the truth that, like in other states, our politics too is increasingly falling prey to criminalisation? While analysing data from the Election Commission, I was shocked to find that out of 286 sitting MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, 118 have criminal cases registered against them. When you look at the bigger picture, no single party can be solely blamed for the criminalisation of politics.All political parties indulge in all sorts of practices and the common objective is just one, to win as many seats as possible. If someone has a high chance of winning, even if they have a criminal background, they are given a ticket! Politics has become a game of ‘saam, daam, dand, bhed’ (conciliation, money, punishment and division). All political parties turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of criminal elements. No action is taken against them. Many legislators don’t even consider what kind of example their conduct sets for the younger generation! Take the case of Sanjay Gaikwad; he brutally assaulted a canteen worker. I agree, maybe the food wasn’t good. But there’s a House Committee to file complaints with! Who gave him the right to take the law into his own hands?The reality is that the space once occupied by sincere, simple and dedicated workers has now been taken over by people who excel in violence and intimidation and those who have bullying in their blood. Leaders nurture such goons, and what is worse is that some even shamelessly claim they keep goons around in hope of reforming them! But I firmly believe that if politics doesn’t take control over this army of goons in time, these very goons will enslave politics itself. As long as these gangs of thugs continue to flourish in the name of party workers, we will continue to be humiliated.The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha..

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