AYA RAM GAYA RAM: TURNCOATS LOOKING FOR GREENER PASTURES IN POLL-BOUND TELANGANA

 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram': Turncoats looking for greener pastures in poll-bound Telangana 

Though Aya Ram and Gaya Rams got the tagline from Haryana politics for shifting of loyalties by MLAs in a jiffy, it is now often used for those changing parties 

Published on 3 Nov 2023 11:08 AM

By C R Gowri Shanker 

Hyderabad: Aya Ram, Gaya Ram culture has touched its zenith and moral values at its nadir in Telangana politics.
The situation has come to such a pass that voters are confused and asking leaders, and workers “Kaun se party mein hai saab”.
Telangana is witnessing mass migration of leaders and parties-- Aya Ram Gaya Rams—unheard of in the past as assembly elections close in.
Dumping of parties has become the order of the day, some for denial of Assembly tickets, some saw no future in the existing party, and some for assured benefits in other parties!
Though Aya Ram and Gaya Rams got the tagline from Haryana politics for shifting of loyalties by MLAs in a jiffy, it is now often used for those changing parties.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Indian National Congress (INC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the worst hit.
While denial of Assembly tickets for self and kin has been the major reason, the winds of change in favor of Congress after its big win in neighboring Karnataka State has also led to a beeline to the party, mostly from BJP.
In the process, Congress image shot up, and leaders, and cadres from other parties are making a beeline and those who quit the party are also doing “Ghar wapasi.”
Luckily, BRS decision to announce candidates for the majority of Assembly seats saved the party to some extent.
KCR, unlike in the past is leaving no stone unturned to have as many leaders as possible from rival parties on his bandwagon and use them for polls to deride the rivals!

KCR, KTR, and Harish Rao woo rival leaders and welcome Gharwapsi

Though facing health issues, Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is trying hard for a hattrick win in the 2023 polls roped in his son and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao and nephew, Finance, and Health Minister T Harish Rao to reach out to disgruntled leaders in Congress, BJP and other parties and bring them to BRS fold.

Rama Rao and Harish Rao, are seen crisscrossing the State for enrolment of unhappy leaders from other parties and the trio has been successful so far.

In fact, in many cases, KCR personally welcomed new entrants to the party.

Surveys influence leaders
Election surveys by various pollsters and parties added to the confusion among the leaders and cadre in parties leading to shifting of loyalties. It’s also influencing leaders and workers in various parties. While some surveys predicted a big win for BRS and some projected Congress!

BJP takes the brunt of migration
In the Aya Ram, Gaya Ram melee, Telangana BJP has been hit hard with scores of defections and the morale of most party leaders and cadre low after the sudden change of leadership from Bandi Sanjay to Union Tourism Minister G Krishna Reddy.

BJP's image plummeted before polls and raised suspicion of a secret deal between BRS and BJP after no serious action was taken against BRS MLC K Kavita in the liquor scam after much publicity.

BJP unwelcoming to youth
BJP official spokesman, economist Rakesh Reddy from Warangal, summed up the situation in the party,” Party had failed to acknowledge my contributions. The party is unwelcoming to youth and exploiting young members in the name of ideology.”

No ticket, Rathod Bapu Rao, MLA quits BRS and joins BJP
BRS Boath two-time MLA Rathod Bapu Rao quit the party and the Legislative Assembly peeved over the denial of the party ticket and joined the BJP.

“I quit my job as a teacher to join the Telangana agitation. I got elected twice with the blessings of my people. I have been denied the ticket without any reason. All my efforts to meet the top leadership have been in vain,” he told the media.

Bapu Rao claimed he was attracted to the BJP because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to develop the country and the importance he has been giving to the tribal people, including making Draupadi Murmu the President of India.

Rajagopal Reddy, Vivek Venkatswamy gharwapsi to Congress
Ex-MP G Vivek Venkatswamy, who also owns V 6 TV channel and Velugu Telugu Daily, quit the BJP and re-joined Congress in the presence of AICC former president Rahul Gandhi.

Nalgonda strongman, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, brother of Congress MP Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy quit BJP and rejoin Congress. Reddy was accused of bagging crores of rupees contract for entry into the BJP, which he denied.

Komati Reddy Rajagopal Reddy unsuccessfully contested on the BJP ticket in the bypoll for the Munugode Assembly constituency in 2022.

Reddy wrote on social media: “Activists are my strength. Fans are my breath. Their aspirations are my ambition. Positions are not new to me. My decision is for the people.”

Nagam Janardhan Reddy bids adieu to Congress and joins BRS
In a major boost to BRS, former minister Nagam Janardhan Reddy, former MLA Vishnuvardhan Reddy (son of P Janardhan Reddy), Kolhapur leader Rampulla Reddy, Karimnagar leader Kota Jaipal Reddy, and other Congress leaders joined BRS in the presence of KCR. Nagam, a close associate of KCR in Telugu Desam, was personally welcomed by CM.

KCR praises Nagam
"Nagam Janardhan Reddy was active in the Telangana movement of 1969. He also went to jail. With Nagam Janardhan joining, our strength doubled. We will certainly win 14 seats in Palamuru (Old Mahabubnagar district)," KCR remarked.

Vishnu’s future is my responsibility
On Vishunuvardhan Reddy, KCR said,” Vishnuvardhan Reddy is my responsibility for his good political future. PJR is my best friend and his son Vishnu is like a member of my family. I request Vishnu and MLA Mahanti Gopinath to work together," he added.

Slamming the Opposition, KCR accused them of indulging in bad politics. “Opposition parties are doing bad politics unable to digest development. They attacked Kotha MP Prabhakar Reddy. We have to be careful and win the elections which will be a slap on their faces, let's all move forward unitedly," the BRS chief said.

BJP leader and former MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy joined the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, and Telugu Desam politburo member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy joined the BRS. KTR welcomed him into the party.

One of the last key leaders of TDP in Telangana, Chandrasekhar Reddy was with the party since 1982 when it was floated by N.T. Rama Rao. He was elected twice to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from Wanaparthy besides serving as a Rajya Sabha member.

Minister for Panchayat Raj E. Dayakar Rao, who was Chandrasekhar Reddy’s colleague in TDP, played a key role in bringing him into the BRS.

Jitta Balakrishna Reddy returns to KCR
Congress leader Jitta Balakrishna Reddy, once a close associate of KCR during the Telangana movement, also rejoined the BRS.
Reddy quit TRS (now BRS) to float Yuva Telangana Party, and merged his Party with the BJP last year. Unhappy with being sidelined by BJP leadership, he joined Congress in July.
Since Congress rejected his demand for a Bhongir Assembly ticket, he went to BRS.
Former president of the Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association Mamila Rajender also joined the ruling party.

Sudhakar dumps Congress
Congress got a jolt with TPCC Vice President Dr Cheruku Sudhakar resigning from the party. Telangana Inti Party leader Sudhakar had joined Congress last month and had merged his party.

It is learnt Congress MP Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy was unhappy over Sudhakar being admitted into the party.

A purported audio tape created a sensation in March wherein Venkat Reddy allegedly threatened to kill Sudhakar and his son Dr Suhas. There is also a tiff in Congress over seat sharing with communists.

MIM too faces rumbling
There is unusual rumbling in the AIMIM party too headed by Asaduddin Owaisi in Hyderabad following reports that Charminar MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan is being asked to pave the way for a newcomer due to his long tenure.

Rumors were agog that he might seek a Congress ticket if denied to contest again.

All parties in the State are facing hiccups and more are expected once all the seats are finalized, with the common man enjoying the political spectacle of sorts.

HISTORY OF AYA RAM GAYA RAM

Feb 14, 2022

‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’: When Politicians Change Political Allegiances

Sruthy Sriram

In 1967, Haryana’s MLA Gaya Lal changed his political party three times in the span of fifteen days — first from the Congress to the Janata Party, then back to the Congress, and again to the Janata Party. ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’

(Varun Ramesh Balan, ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’: A contemporary history of defections to the BJP, The Week, https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/03/12/aaya-ram-gaya-ram-a-contemporary-history-of-defections-to-the-bjp.html[]))1 thus became a popular phrase in Indian politics, referring to legislators (members of legislative bodies, such as MPs or MLAs) who frequently change their political allegiance and jump from one political party to another.

Political defection or shifting of party allegiance by legislators can happen for varied reasons, but it becomes problematic when politicians are given bribes to shift to other parties, by offering them the reward of a powerful political position or other benefits. Defections by legislators threaten the stability of the government and can even result in the fall of a ruling government.

Even now, there is an ongoing dispute in Rajasthan between the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP. 

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accused the BJP of trying to overthrow his government by bribing Congress MLAs to join the BJP.((The Hindu, BJP offering MLAs ₹ 25 crore to topple Rajasthan government: Ashok Gehlot). Rajasthan is now the fourth state in India to witness such a turmoil in the last one year.

Anti-defection law in India: Tenth Schedule of the Constitution

Frequent political defection is a problem faced by many parliamentary democracies including India. To tackle the problem of defection, also known as floor-crossing, the Indian Parliament adopted the legislative route and amended the Constitution. In 1985, the Tenth Schedule((Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India, https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf1/S10.pdf.[]))4 was added by the Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act. The Schedule lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection.

Under the Tenth Schedule, a person can be disqualified from being a member of the:

• Lok Sabha
• Rajya Sabha
• State Legislative Assembly
• Legislative Council of a State

Disqualification means that the person cannot be a member of any of these legislative bodies. In other words, upon disqualification, a person belonging to a political party cannot compete in elections for a seat in these houses and cannot become a legislator.

A legislator belonging to any political party who is disqualified from being a member of a legislative body, is also disqualified to be appointed as a Minister in the government,((Article 75(1B); Article 164(1B), Constitution of India.))5 till he is re-elected.

How can a legislator be disqualified?

Disqualification of a legislator can happen in two ways:

• The legislator will be disqualified if he voluntarily gives up his political party membership,((Paragraph 2(1)(a), Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India.))6 generally through a formal resignation. Sometimes, even without a formal resignation, it is possible to conclude from a person’s behaviour/conduct that he has given up membership in a political party.((Ravi S. Naik and Sanjay Bandekar v Union of India, AIR 1994 SC 1558))7 Thus, the act of voluntarily giving up membership of a political party may be either express or implied.((G. Viswanathan v. Hon’ble Speaker, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Madras and Others, AIR 1996 SC 1060.))8

• Legislators have to vote on various issues in the Parliament/State legislative bodies. Every political party has its own opinion on any issue, and will decide whether party members will vote in favour of an issue or against it. If a member of a political party goes against his party’s orders and does not vote according to what his party has decided, then he will be disqualified from being a legislator.((Paragraph 2(1)(b), Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India))9 The disqualification will not happen if the party decides to accept its member’s vote within fifteen days from the date of voting.

Sometimes, a person who is not a member of any political party gets elected to be a member of a legislative body. In this case, the person who has got elected will be disqualified if he joins any political party after the election.((Paragraph 2(2), Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India))10

Changing one’s political party without facing disqualification

There are certain circumstances in which legislators may change their party without facing disqualification. The law allows a political party to merge with another party if at least two-thirds of its legislative members have agreed to the merger.((Paragraph 4, Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India.))11 In a merger situation, the party’s legislative members will not face disqualification, irrespective of whether they have agreed to the merger, or chosen to function as a separate group without merging.

Who decides whether a legislator should be disqualified?

The decision of whether a legislator should be disqualified or not, is taken by the Chairman or Speaker i.e., the Presiding Officer of the legislative body.((Paragraph 6, Tenth Schedule, Constitution of India.))12 A legislator is allowed to appeal against the Presiding Officer’s decision in court.²¹³

In this Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu and Others, the Supreme Court discussed the underlying purpose of the Tenth Schedule and its various provisions. The Court said that the objective is to curb the evil of political defections which happen when politicians join other parties in return for being given certain political posts or similar rewards, thus endangering the foundations of democracy.

Further, the Court held that:

‘These provisions in the Tenth Schedule give recognition to the role of political parties in the political process. A political party goes before the electorate with a particular programme and it sets up candidates at the election on the basis of such programme. A person who gets elected as a candidate set up by a political party is so elected on the basis of the programme of that political party.’

According to the Court, the law that disqualifies a person who voluntarily gives up party membership is based on political propriety and morality. If the legislator, after election, changes his affiliation and leaves the political party which had set him up as a candidate, then he should also leave his membership of the legislature and go back before the electorate. This is also applicable to a person who is elected as an Independent candidate and wishes to join a political party after the election.

1. Gilles Verniers, Why defections continue to cast a shadow on politics, Hindustan Times, https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/why-defections-continue-to-cast-a-shadow-on-politics/story-4Fs0vOMzmpBX9YVYiadMsL.html[] [↩]
2. Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu and Others, AIR 1993 SC 412. [↩]

‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’: A contemporary history of defections to the BJP

The bizarre power politics that accompanies defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party

 By Varun Ramesh Balan Updated: March 12, 2020 18:57 IST

The BJP has proved that it has mastered the art of wooing MLAs from its rivals | Sanjay Ahlawat

Horse-trading is not new for the Bharatiya Janata Party, nor is it new to Indian politics. The very term commonly used for it—‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’—dates back to 1967, when Gaya Lala defected thrice in a fortnight, first from the Congress to the Janata Party, then back to the Congress and then back again to the JP.

Now, with the BJP likely to stake their claim to form a government in Madhya Pradesh after 16 Congress MLAs defected to it, the lotus party proves that it has mastered the art of wooing MLAs from its rivals.

With Madhya Pradesh, the BJP adds one more state to a list that includes Manipur, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka—places where the BJP came to power on the heels of defections from other parties.

The best-known example of this is in Karnataka. In 2008, the BJP initiated what is now known as ‘Operation Lotus’ to poach over 20 MLAs from JD(S) and the Congress. 

History repeated a decade later in 2019 when 13 Congress MLAs in Karnataka rebelled and joined the BJP (one of whom later returned). 

Together with three MLAs from JDS and one from Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP), the 17 rebels hoped to be part of a ruling BJP government, but were later disqualified by the speaker of the house. 

The Supreme Court upheld their disqualification but struck down a provision that would have barred them from contesting elections till 2023—the rebels were were allowed to contest in the bypolls elections that would determine the fate of the government.

At the time, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala came up with a new abbreviation to replace ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’: “MODI—Mischievously Orchestrated Defection in India”. But, it may not be the PM who strategises: Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa was later seen in a leaked video attributing Amit Shah as the mastermind of the operation.

[File] Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa celebrates after the Congress-JD(S) government lost the trust vote in the Karnataka assembly | Bhanu Prakash Chandra

The cost of bringing in outsiders and offering them ministerial berths is that party men would lose out on the same—turning them into potential rebels as well. 

During the bypolls, the BJP lost two members, Sharath Bachegowda and Kaviraj Urs, who wanted to contest in the same seats being given to the rebels. Staging their own rebellion, they were soon removed by the party’s state leadership.

The orchestration of power had by then become a staple of post-election government building.

Earlier, in both Goa and Manipur, the BJP managed to turn hung assemblies to ruling governments after getting rival MLAs to defect to it.

In Goa in 2017, the Congress was the single-largest party after the elections with 17 seats while the BJP had 13. The ‘magic figure’ to be attained was 21. 

However, despite falling short of this by themselves, the BJP came to power after winning the support of the Goa Forward Party, a party that switched sides after campaigning alongside the Congress during the elections. 

All three of the GFP MLAs extended their support to the BJP, prompting the resignation of the GFP president. Along with the support of the BJP-allied Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the BJP+ had 21 MLAs, and were then invited to form the government by the governor of Goa.

Adding insult to injury, by July 2019, 12 Congress MLAs had defected to the BJP. The sheer number of defections allowed them to evade the 1985 anti-defection rules, which allows for defections provided it has the support of two-thirds of the legislative party.

Likewise in Manipur, the BJP were short of seats after the 2017 legislative assembly elections. While Congress had 28 seats, the BJP had 21. However, the BJP and its allies in the Naga People’s Front (NGF) and National People’s Party (NPP) were able to cobble together 30 seats. 

To reach the magic mark of 31 in the 60-member assembly, BJP got a single Congress MLA to support them as they staked their claim to form the government. There was a catch, however—the MLA never actually resigned from the Congress while doing so!

Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh accompanied the 30 other BJP MLAs and allies to Raj Bhavan to meet the governor, and was then sworn in as a minister in the new cabinet. That very evening, he was expelled from the Congress for failing to take note of a show cause notice by the party. However, he continued to serve as a minister in the cabinet.

Was it legal? The answer is still debated—Congress filed multiple petitions in the tribunal of the speaker’s court but these were not taken up. They approached the High Court which declined to intervene but criticised the speaker for not acting. 

Finally, on January 21, the Supreme Court asked the speaker to decide the fate of Shyamkumar within four weeks. On February 29, the Speaker’s tribunal asked the apex court for four more weeks to decide. By this time, the state government made possible by Shyamkumar’s defection had been ruling for nearly three years.

Speaking to reporters prior to the swearing-in, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president T.N. Haokip remarked, “This is probably the first time in the political history of India that an MLA-elect of an opposition party has defected and joined the ruling coalition government directly as a minister.”

The tale has another bizarre element: Eight other Congress MLAs later ‘defected’ to support the BJP, but did so without resigning from the Congress or issuing letters of support for the BJP—sitting in the opposition benches to avoid violating the anti-defection law!

In Arunachal Pradesh too was a tale of defection, where the Congress went from having 47 MLAs to having just one in the span of a year. 

The 2014 election yielded a Congress majority and the grand old party ruled the state for nearly two years. However, political crises rocked the state in 2016, giving it a total of three CMs in a single year. In September 2016—a month after former CM Kalikho Pul was found hanging at his official residence—then Congress chief minister Pema Khandu took 43 of his party MLAs with him to join the People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA), which was in alliance with the BJP. 

Then, on December 31, 33 PPA MLAs joined the BJP and formed the government with Khandu as chief minister.

A few days later, two MLAs from the Congress defected to the BJP as well, leaving the Congress with just one MLA in the house.

Another state, Maharashtra, was briefly the site of an MLA takeover in 2019. Ajit Pawar, son of Sharad Pawar, jumped ship from the NCP to the BJP and was promptly rewarded with deputy chief ministership. 

However, in order to evade anti-defection laws, he had to bring over 36 MLAs from the NCP. Devendra Fadnavis said Pawar had assured him of the support of at least 54 MLAs. But, the tides turned after the resultant government lasted just 80 hours. 

Pawar resigned from his post just hours after the Supreme Court ordered the government to prove its majority—something they could not do without him. Almost immediately after, Fadnavis resigned as well, leaving the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress to form a government under the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ coalition.

[File] Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis with Ajit Pawar | PTI

According to NDTV, Pawar quit after a one-hour conversation with Fadnavis where he told the former CM that it was impossible for him to get the required numbers. 

It worked out well for him as he became deputy CM under the MVA government, raising suspicion that he had become a political trojan horse. Pawar next met Fadnavis in public just weeks later, appearing on stage with his estranged political bedfellow to grace the marriage of an independent MLA. The two had an animated 20-minute discussion which Pawar says was about “the weather”.

More often than not, it is the Congress that serves as the source of MLAs for the BJP—and for other parties as well. Prior to the 2019 general election, 21 Congress MLAs and one MP defected to the BJP.

In Gujarat, where the BJP do not even require MLAs to maintain their majority, five Congressmen have defected since 2018. This only adds to the 14 who left the Congress and joined the BJP prior to the 2019 election. In Uttarakhand in 2017, 14 ex-Congressmen were given BJP tickets, of which 12 of them went on to win.

The BJP is not the only recipient of Congressmen: In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has wooed 12 Congress MLAs to their side over the course of two-and-a-half years.

Horse-trading is not unique to the BJP. In Indian Politics and Society Since Independence: Events, Processes and Ideology, Bidyut Chakrabarty writes that “between 1967 and 1970, nearly 800 legislators crossed the floor and nearly 155 of them were rewarded with ministerial office...there was no respite because defection turned out the a safe instrument for upward mobility for the legislators, who suddenly became important for the survival of the coalition”.

While changing employers only became a trend among the youth in recent times, politicians have proved for decades that it is the way to go if upward mobility is the goal.