NEW DELHI: In India, the news may not come as a surprise to many: that you have to be rich to be a successful politician. Or you could enhance your wealth a whopping 1000 fold from the time you join the ruling caucus till its mandatory five year term ends. Two events did the rounds very recently to endorse the fact that the heady mix of crime, money and politics is here to stay in the Indian political canvas.

Narwana, an obscure village in Jind district of Haryana, was recently in the news. At a seminar there, Congress MP Birender Singh said Rs. 100 crore is all you need to become an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He quoted a known person who bargained and got the seat for Rs. 20 crore less. Birender Singh said not one but he knew 20 such cases where money pitch-forked lawmakers to the top in Indian politics.

The second event, which surfaced almost at the same time, was more academic in nature.  The analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), both of them NGOs has thrown up startling facts about the murky world of politicians, politics and money.