Concept of Indian Democracy and the Emerging Challenges to Its Democratic System
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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 CONCEPT OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY AND THE EMERGING CHALLENGES TO ITS DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM Sakshi Rathi School of Social Science, IGNOU, New Delhi Abstract: We are all familiar with the idea that democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Today, the most common form of democracy is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programmes for the public good. Since independence, India has managed to stay on the democratic path in a way unprecedented among states freed from colonialism. Recently, however, the dominance of muscle power of the political candidates, bypassing of democratic deliberations, attacks on religious minorities, frequent riots, and maladministration of the independent institutions, in addition to the pre-existing challenges such as education, economic backwardness, regionalism, corruption- has given rise to claims that India’s democracy is in grave danger. However, equality, good governance, education, decentralization of power, civil society participation can remove these threats to have better democratic setup in India. In this paper, it has been attempted to study and analyse the existing democratic setup in India and suggest necessary reforms in order to ensure a true democracy in India Keywords: Democracy, Challenges, Governance, Corruption, Communalism. Introduction Democracy is not an absolute state but an evolving process, Democracy is a Greek invention, where the ultimate anywhere in the world. India is a young democracy, authority of governance is vested in the common people to stumbling along the path to recognition of majority rule as conform to the will of the people and to serve the interest of something altogether distinct from codified balance its people. First time practiced in ancient Greek city Athens. between individual and group rights, including minority In the late 20th century, democracy triumphed over all other rights. major ideological systems. The vigorous rise of democracy Practice of democracy is in everybody’s interest: history has continued ever since and today there are over 167 self- shows that strong, mature democracies have never proclaimed democratic countries around the world The instigated war of aggression against other countries. India Democratic Index 20191. as a democratic country had faced and is facing array of challenges that help to provide lessons for most countries in Successful democracy is a holistic idea. It encompasses the world. It is the largest democracy in the world, in which both procedural and substantive aspects. Procedural aspects elections takes a week to administer, twenty two official such as political equality, effective institutions, free and fair languages are spoken, and the population is marked by deep elections, legislative assemblies, constitutional religious, economic, social, and cultural divisions. India is governments, and good voter turnouts, while, substantive known to have a successful democratic system. However, aspects comprises socio-economic equality of citizens, there are certain loopholes and challenges which are tolerance for different opinions, ruler accountability, respect eroding the faith of its citizens that need to be worked on for the rules, and a strong political engagement. Both such as corruption, poor sanitation, communal riots, law aspects are complementary and dependent. They reinforce and order, economic reforms, good governance, protection one another and also interfere with one another. Socio- of human rights, women’s and children rights, protection of economic inequality will interfere with the achievement of freedom guaranteed under the Constitution of India, political equality. Thus, successful functioning of frequent dharnas, strikes walkouts, etc. Among other things, procedural aspects of democracy requires aspects of the democratic government must work on eliminating substantive democracy. poverty, illiteracy, communalism, gender bias and caste based discrimination in order to ensure democracy in true India is not only the largest democracy in the world, it is sense. also considered to be a strong one, characterized by a good This research work concentrates on the metamorphosis of relationship between the electors and the electorates. India the challenges deepening in the Indian democratic system runs on five democratic principles including sovereign, since independence. This can help us to understand the secular, socialist and democratic and republic. India was problems, prospects and consequences of the centralizing declared a democratic nation after it attained freedom from tendencies which is affecting the prospect of India on the the colonial rule of the british in 1947. Not only is the domestic and at the world level. largest, Indian democracy also considered to be one of the most successful ones. Subrata Kumar Mitra explains ‘India Objectives of the study: is a modern state with secure boundaries, sovereign control The present research proposes to work for the fulfillment of over domestic politics and with international recognition.’3 the present following objectives. But India is also a quite new state; it became free from 1. To focus on the present challenges of Indian democratic colonialists quite late in history, and is still carrying a system; colonial heritage; it wants to become more independent. 2. To identify the components necessary for the effective Volume IX, Issue VI, JUNE/2020 Page No : 3227 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 practice of democracy; politics and there is an urgent need to apply serious check 3. To engage in an authentic process of evaluating the on such tendencies. Criminals have more chance of practice of democracy in order to chart out a course for winning, due to muscle and money power they have at their future improvements. helm. Election Commission of India has given limited powers to legislate on election related laws. Thus, causing Methodology: the greatest danger Indian democracy faces today. The proposed research is based on secondary data. It will consider the major political, economic and social relations Kashmir Article 370: happened within the nation. The proposed study is After the recent revocation of Article 370 of the Indian theoretical, historical, descriptive, exploratory and Constitution (which ended J&K’s autonomy and is interpretative in nature. It is exploratory in nature in the reorganised into two Union Territories) a strong opinion has sense that it examines the recent furore created by the emerged regarding the human rights in Jammu & Kashmir policies and decisions of the government and its impact on and the detention of majority of leaders of J&K under the the citizens. This research has a deep and abiding concerns Public Safety Act marks a new, dangerous low in the and contemplation on the healthy relations between the overreach of state power to curtail liberty in Kashmir. The electors and electorates. This method also attempts to manner in which they have been subject to detention is examine the deep rooted reasons behind the political and creating a widespread resentment against the democratic cultural reasons to curb some of the rights as contemplated theme of India, whether justifiable or not. A genuine by the Indian Constitution. concern about human rights and civil liberties whether it is the suspension of civil liberties, the detention of political Discussion: figures, the information blackout that existed is linked with No political system works in vacuum. Every political the relationship it holds with the globalized world. system has to work in particular and historical factors of the concerned. It is no fact that every political system is Economic backwardness: conditioned by the environment in which it operates. Indian Equal economic development for its all classes of society democracy cannot be an exception to this rule and it is and all parts of country is not being done in India, one of undoubtedly conditioned by a number of social and the main reasons for the crippling of Indian democracy. economic factors. The challenges for Indian democracy Economic backwardness in many parts of India has resulted have been numerous, and often of extraordinary magnitude. in poverty, under nutrition, lack of proper education, health Yet India has so far defied prediction of the end of its awareness and facilities of development. In such democracy. The country has managed to muddle through by circumstances, a citizen is not and cannot be expected to be applying innovative, responsive and novel strategies that able to participate in the process of democratic governance moved the country forward- without becoming some kind of the country. So, a large sector of Indian public remains of hybrid state or simply an authoritarian one. However, out of democratic process and so nation is not running as a more recently it seems that something has gone wrong with true democracy, due to economic backwardness. If without the democratic project. The most significant break in the any influence or compulsion every citizen can take part in country’s democratic trajectory came during the Emergency process of democracy, without any about threat and with (1975-77) ‘Emergency turned democracy into constitutional well received information and knowledge, only then it can dictatorship’. The constitutional provisions were used to be expected to run a democracy. turn democracy into constitutional dictatorship by Mrs Indira