Scurrying turncoats, unflinching parties

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 14

They do not list on the primary members’ list of any political party nor do they take oath as the office-bearers, yet they are the much sought after genre in the ongoing MC elections. Meet the party hoppers who come out of their cocoons during every election to impact the psyche of voters. These Judas of politics give ideology a go-by to fulfill their personal ambitions.

According to Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh, though they do not cost much to the party, they do impact the mind of the voters in a big way. “Whenever anyone joins another party, it is taken as a breaking point in the opposite party and a direct advantage to the other. Little drops add up to the ocean,” he says.

If the turncoats are made to sign any primary membership form or take oath, the answer is the antithesis. BJP district president Ramesh Sharma says, “No, we do not as majority of the hopping takes place during elections. But we do ask them to fill the form and follow other norms during the membership drive announced soon after an election.”

Surprisingly, while the turncoats are making headlines in every newspaper and social media sites, the district unit of a respective party to which they join is not made aware about the new members. All it takes is to buy a party scarf, tie around your neck and approach a senior party leader to announce your support. A click and you can find yourself making headlines in the next minute on every social media site.

“It is wrong but looking at the urgency during elections, we do have to take some decisions in a haste,” said Daljit Singh Ahluwalia, district president, Congress, accepting that a number of people though joined the party in the ongoing MC polls, the district unit was yet to make a list of them.

On Wednesday, a considerable number of people joined the Congress but the district unit was found unaware about it as they went straight to either the area MLA or Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh directly.

According to Congress leader Sanjay Sehgal, the party welcomes anyone who wants to join unconditionally, but it should follow the norms of the party constitution in the process. The joining should be there in the presence of the district president and the candidate should be made to fill the membership form first,” said Sehgal, adding that after elections, majority of the party hoppers go back to their cocoons and wait for other opportunities they will get in the next elections.

According to BJP worker Suman Verma, who is also the secretary of the BC Morcha, she was standing in front of her house when a group of Congress workers came to her and put a Congress scarf around her neck and clicked pictures. She later alleged that the Congress later posted the pictures on social media websites claiming that she had joined them. It was later the BJP district president issued a clarification that she did not joined the Congress and still remains a part of the BJP.