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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaigns on the slogan of "crime-free politics." Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself introduced a bill in Parliament stating that any minister who spends at least 30 days in jail for a criminal case must resign. However, voters are questioning the sincerity of this claim when 40% of the ruling party's ministers are facing criminal charges.
According to data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 136 out of BJP’s 336 ministers are accused in criminal cases, with 88 facing serious allegations, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and violence against women. Prominent names like Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Giriraj Singh are on the list. BJP’s allied parties are no different, with leaders like Kumaraswamy and Jitan Ram Manjhi also facing charges.
This is a critical signal for democracy. When nearly half of the country’s ministers are accused in criminal cases, public trust in politics erodes. How can democracy sustain faith when lawmakers themselves stand in the dock? If the call for crime-free politics is genuine, the BJP must first set an example by cleaning up its own house, as public opinion demands.
