Masters or employees.

Politicians and civil servants in UP have looted $14.5 billion or Rs 806.49 billion worth of food, destined for the poor, in the past decade. ET, 30 August. A World Bank report says that more than 80% of food was stolen in 2005 and that 10% rots before distribution. The government spent $13 billion last year buying and storing food. In UP the minister for food is charged with murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and electoral fraud. The state police ran 5 investigations in 7 years with, wait for it, 0 convictions. How can a criminal stand for elections and then become a minister? To become a minister he has to be a member of the victorious party and would have contributed significantly to its victory so as to be eligible for such a reward. In India we do not have primaries, as they do in the US, to pick eligible candidates nor do we have local committees who vet all aspirants who put their names forward to stand for a particular seat as in the UK. Candidates are picked by the leader of the party or " high command " as they are known. Did he commit his crimes in such secrecy that no one knew about them? That is impossible. One may be able to hide one crime from everyone but someone with such a colorful past will be well known to the police and the local populace. The state police forces are poorly paid and highly corrupt and are easily threatened into inactivity. The local people will be so afraid of the criminal that no one will be willing to stand as witness. In remote areas people maybe dependent on the criminal to get essential services such as electricity connections or for protection against other criminals and thus maybe obliged to him. Much like Marlon Brando in the movie Godfather. The criminal may also be a Robin Hood type helping poor people in times of stress. But his power will be absolute and anyone opposing or informing on him will be executed. As they say in Bihar," Make him 6 inches shorter." Which means behead him. Such dastardly criminals may not be in prison but everyone knows about them. So, it follows that a political party will pick him precisely because he is such a dastardly criminal. He will have vast amounts of black money to finance the party and his victory will be assured as no one will dare stand against him. Thus every party in India is actually a political gang. Small wonder that 21% of adults and 50% of children are malnourished. Apparently about 900 million Indians eat less than the minimum recommended by the government. Why waste vast amounts of taxpayer money on welfare programs that do not work? To keep the people poor and because most of it can be stolen. In the Republican Party convention actor Clint Eastwood said," We own this country. Politicians are our employees." In India politicians have made themselves into VIPs and VVIPs while we are meant to serve them. After all how can they be khas if we are not the aam aadmi.