The ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’ Notoriety

On January 31, 1985, the Parliament passed the Anti-Defection law, to prevent politicians from switching political allegiances based on convenience. The law was a much-needed step towards blocking this increasingly notorious path of corruption.

An Amul cartoon depicting the problem of political defection; Source: Public Domain

The phrase ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’ had become a favourite among politicians to describe the process of defection. It was popularised by the peculiar case of Haryana MLA Gaya Lal, who is remembered for changing his official political party twice within the same day and thrice in 15 days, in 1967.

Hopping from one political party to another, shifting allegiances for personal gains – this is the essence of political defection. Even at a preliminary glance, it is quite obvious that an act of defection leads to political instability. While it may benefit an individual politician, this pattern enables them to abandon their party whenever it seems convenient to them – and they don’t have to answer to anyone for it. Additionally, the fact that nobody could be held accountable for defecting politicians, served as an impetus for growing corruption, as politicians could simply be enticed with money, senior positions or fulfilment of personal ambitions – paving the way for nothing but increased corruption.

Surprisingly, it was not just political newbies who defected from one party to another, but even politicians with quite a few years of experience by their side. The Anti-Defection Law was introduced to curb this trend. Better late than never, the anti-defection bill was introduced in the Parliament, and passed by the Rajya Sabha on January 31, 1985. It is also known as the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. According to this law, defection has been described as voluntarily giving up party membership, or acting against the directives of the party leadership on a particular issue.

If a member of the House raises a petition against another for defection, the guilty leader may even lose their membership from the House. This is applicable for the Parliament, as well for members of the state assembly.

Although the law is in place to prevent political defection, the phenomenon still occurs in electoral politics. By forming last-minute coalitions against dominant parties through defecting politicians, the electoral competition loses its spirit of democracy, which is a worrisome aspect of the status quo that prevails.