Nobody in their wildest imaginations would have thought, former Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar to pull off the political switch of the year that he did on Thursday, October 3. But then, being in Haryana, Tanwar's sudden move was hardly a shock. Thursday's development has again put the focus back on Haryana's 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics.
What Happened In Haryana On Thursday?
Ashok Tanwar campaigned for the BJP in the morning and just about an hour later, he met Rahul Gandhi and joined the Congress. He had even posted pictures of his BJP campaign on social media.
Tanwar is known for his frequent party hopping. Since he joined active politics five years, ago he has been part of four political parties — Congress, Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Aam Aadmi Party. He has now joined Congress again.
Tanwar's frequent change of allegiance, especially the change in loyalty within an hour on Thursday, reminds one of the political switches of Haryana MLA Gaya Lal in 1967.
How Did The Phrase 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' Originate?
The phrase "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram" has now become a significant part of the political discourse in India. It refers to the practice of political defection or "turncoating". This term originated from an incident involving Gaya Lal, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Haryana, in 1967. His quick changes in party allegiance — switching parties three times within a fortnight — steeped Haryana into a period of political instability and eventually the assembly had to be dissolved.
Gaya Lal was initially elected as an independent candidate from Hasanpur but he quickly joined the Congress, which won the 1967 Haryana Assembly elections. However, Congress lost the majority within a week of coming to power as 12 of its MLAs defected.
Meanwhile, independent MLAs, who had won the 1967 elections, also formed a coalition political outfit — the 'United Front'. The United Front managed to rope in MLAs from the Congress and other parties, eventually commanding a majority in the Assembly. Their leader Rao Birender Singh was then sworn in as the first non-Congress CM of Haryana.
Not wanting to be left with the party without power, Lal defected from the Congress to the United Front within nine hours. Within 15 days he moved back to the Congress and then again to the United Front. His manoeuvres eventually led to the imposition of President's Rule in Haryana.
Rao Birender Singh had then referred to Gaya Lal as "Gaya Ram is now Aaya Ram", a phrase that would be relevant to India's political discourse even decades later. Gaya Lal, meanwhile continued to switch parties till the end of his political career.
On October 4, his son Udai Bhan, who is the chief of the Congress in Haryana, orchestrated another 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' moment when the party inducted Ashok Tanwar into its folds.
How 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' Phenomenon Impacted Indian Politics
Over the years, "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram" has come to symbolise not only individual politicians but also broader trends in Indian politics where party loyalty is often sacrificed for personal gain or political advantage. This practice has led to instability within governments and has complicated decision-making for voters.
In response to the frequent changes in political allegiance, India introduced the anti-defection law in 1985 by the 52nd amendment. It aimed to deter politicians and parties from switching loyalties by disqualifying legislators who defected from their parties. According to this law, legislators can be disqualified if they voluntarily give up their party membership or violate party directives during votes. Despite these regulations in place, defections continue to occur.