According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a reputed think tank working on electoral reforms, the average assets of legislators in  Uttarakhand have jumped by Rs 1.79 crore during the past five years. Thus if there are 70 elected legislators in  Uttarakhand, they collectively hold Rupees 125 crore more than what they held five years ago.

The legislator with the highest assets in the past five years, is a BJP MLA, whose total assets stood at Rs 78 Lakh in 2007, has now reached Rs 7.04 crore with a whopping rise of 803 per cent. The MLA is followed by a Congress legislator, whose assets have grown to Rs 4.34 crore during said period.

A BSP MLA is in the third place, whose assets grew to Rs 2.04 crore, during the same period.

The three are contesting this Assembly election as well.

A minister in the BJP Government saw his total assets increase by 2968 per cent reaching Rs 70 Lakh. No wonder, this is the highest rise among the MLAs during the period. Earlier in 2007, this MLA had total assets of Rs 2.38 Lakh.

Twenty-five BJP MLAs became crorepatis during the last five years with average assets of Rs 1.31 crore, which is an increase of 177 per cent. MLAs from another party possessed average assets of of Rs 2.22 crore each.

This time around there are 788 candidates in the fray for 70 seats in the Uttarakhand Assembly.

Assets of legislators (those who are in state Assemblies, councils and the Parliament) are always a topic of intense debate among the electorates (voters). This debate is most often fueled by the politicians themselves. They (politicians) use the debate to score points over their rivals.

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But the above data clearly points that when it comes to assets, most politicians whether in power or not, manage to grow them many folds during their careers. And irrespective of claims made by any party, money power helps when a person contests an election.

That’s why I think, too much debate about assets of legislators and candidates, is not a healthy sign. The debate is even more unhealthy if 16-35 year olds start it.

Legislators (whether MLA, MLC or MP) are special people, with capabilities -- mental, social, emotional and entrepreneurial – many folds higher than ordinary folks like you and I. Just ask yourself, is it easy to garner the vote and support of thousands of people? We underestimate our leaders, they are very capable people; and if they weren’t into politics, they would have been at the top of whatever career they would be in.

If we debate too much the assets of our politicians and legislators; then we in a way underestimate the qualities which make a person successful in his/her career and life. These attributes are – focus, determination, never say die spirit, leveraging social and professional contacts to one’s benefit, empathy, imagination.

Hence if you are a person with big dreams, try to look for good attributes in not only your leaders, but even your friends, elders and anyone you interact with. You will learn something valuable, which will help you catapult you to glory.

And if you achieve in internalizing in this mantra; then you can be a politician and legislator some day, who is not only humble, successful but rich as well.
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