NEW DELHI, April 8 - Chief Justice of India JS Khehar today criticised the electoral politics in the country, saying poll promises are �routinely unfulfilled�, caste issues projected differently to get a majority and party manifestos do not have any linkage to socioeconomic justice.
The CJI said that electoral politics in India centres around �mobilisation and politicisation� of the social groups which were poor or disadvantaged and have long remained politically dominant.
Justice Khehar, who was speaking at a seminar on �Electoral Issues and Economic Reforms�, said, �Caste issues are projected in different ways to ensure a majority in each constituency.�
He said that ever since these marginalised sections have begun turning up in larger numbers to vote, it has led to an unprecedented volatility in the electoral outcome.
This has forced political parties to seek new forms of political alignment, social engineering and support, he said.
Despite these changes in the electoral process, the non-fulfilment of poll promises never becomes an electoral issue, the CJI observed.
�No consequence occurs whether promises are fulfilled or not. Every political party brazenly finds an excuse of not reaching consensus amongst alike partners.
�Even our legal system provides for no consequences to be suffered by political parties if promises made in the manifesto are not fulfilled,� he said.
�Uninformed citizenry, with a short term memory forgets and the election manifesto becomes a mere piece of paper. For this political parties have to be made accountable,� the CJI said.
Justice Dipak Misra, the next senior-most judge of the apex court, who spoke before the CJI, also stressed on the need for electoral and economic reforms by categorically stating that �purchasing power has no room in an election� and �a candidate must bear in mind that contesting elections is not an investment.� � PTI
