‘Vote for me, or else’

Why do so many politicians have criminal records? Academic Milan Vaishnav, author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics, tells Chinki Sinha about his search for the answer

Q.Why did you write this book?

A.In July 2008, the UPA government faced a vote of no confidence over the proposed US-India civil nuclear deal. To ensure it had the votes, it temporarily released six members of Parliament—collectively facing over 100 cases of kidnapping, murder, and the like—from jail. I desperately tried to find a book that explained this nexus but, after many months of searching, I decided I had to try and write it myself.

Q.Why do you think it is important?

A.Fieldwork, surveys, interviews, data analysis… no single method could produce the answers to the main questions: why do parties nominate criminal candidates and why do voters support them? My aim was to provide a framework for understanding [this].

Q.You interviewed the dreaded don Anant Singh in Bihar. Were you afraid?

A.I had gone to see Anant Singh at a village sabha in his constituency around 2010. What was remarkable was how little he spoke. Singh’s message—“vote for me, or else”—did not require many words.

Q.How difficult was it to get interviews?

A.It was not hard—nearly all of them were happy to talk. As far as criminal politicians are concerned, most wear their reputations as a badge of honour. They do not perceive their behaviour to be criminal; they believe they are merely representing the interests of their constituents where the state is failing to do so.

Q.Should India weed out criminal politicians?

A.A core message of the book is that criminal politicians are, in a surprising way, compatible with democratic accountability. This accountability may be imperfect, incomplete or offensive to our normative preconceptions, but it exists. That said, when lawmakers double as lawbreakers, their success can erode the sanctity of the rule of law.