Bought for Billions: India's Political Treason Warning for Zambia
Six Indian parliamentarians have allegedly been bribed with roughly 1.2 billion Kwacha each to abandon their party and hand power to the ruling BJP coalition. The Shiv Sena (UBT) party in India faces a devastating split after lawmakers were reportedly flown in chartered planes to Delhi, each receiving an advance payment before defecting. It is a textbook case of money hijacking democracy, and it carries a blunt warning for Zambia.
What just happened in India's parliament?
Six Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Patil, and Omraje Nimbalkar, were expected to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi to submit a letter forming a separate group. Their parliamentary party chief, Arvind Sawant, issued a whip demanding all nine Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha member attend a meeting on Thursday. Sawant wrote directly to Birla, requesting him not to recognise any breakaway group.
The rebel lawmakers were hiding at an undisclosed location in Delhi. Eknath Shinde, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, was also in the national capital. Jadhav is likely to be elected as the leader of this new group before it merges with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, the very faction that split from the original party back in June 2022 with the BJP's help.
How much does it cost to buy a parliamentarian?
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut dropped a bombshell at a press conference in Delhi. He said each MP was offered 500 million Indian Rupees, roughly 1.2 billion Zambian Kwacha, to leave the party. A 150 million Rupee advance, about 360 million Kwacha, was allegedly paid upfront. Raut claimed the MPs refused to board the chartered planes until they received their cash.