India's next Prime Minister Narendra Modi has generated hopes, sold dreams and his huge poll mandate may have washed away the 2002 Gujarat riot stigma.
Published : 20 May 2014, 01:10 PM
But look at the company Modi will find himself in!
India's new parliament, the Lok Sabha or Lower House, will have the highest proportion of lawmakers with criminal cases against them and will also be the richest since 2004.
More than one- third or 34 percent of new Members of Parliament face criminal charges, data compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms' (ADR) suggests.
It is compiled from election affidavits filed before the Election Commission of India (ECI) as saying.
In 2009, 30 percent MPs faced criminal charges against 24 percent in 2004, said the report.
So lawmakers with criminal charges are on the rise.
What about Modi's party BJP!
Over a third of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) new MPs -- 33 percent -- face criminal charges and more than one-fifth of them -- 21 percent-- face serious criminal charges, said the ADR report.
18 percent of Congress MPs face criminal charges -- 7 percent face serious criminal charges.
The states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar account for the highest rates of criminal cases against the victorious lawmakers.
With 82 percent of its members in the 'crorepati' bracket worth more than 10 million rupees each, this will also be the richest known Lok Sabha, compared to 2009's 58 percent and 2004's 30 percent, according to the report.
The BJP won a crushing victory in the Lok Sabha election and has an absolute majority of 282 seats in the 543-seat house. The Congress has won only 48 seats.