Democracy in India
- Introduction:
- Although the existence of groups like the Sabha, Samiti, and Vidath as well as several republics throughout the Vedic era of ancient India provides proof of democracy.
- However, the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789, and England’s Bloodless Revolution of 1688 played a major influence in maintaining the current form of democracy. In spite of administrative policy and state regulations, Parliament had to be approved thanks to England’s great revolution. In addition, India has embraced parliamentary democracy after decades of colonial domination.
Democracy’s definition:
- The Greek root word “Demos” and the Latin word “Cresscia” were used to create the English word “democracy.” Democracy is the rule of the people since Demos means “common people” and Cressey “rule.”
India’s democratic transition:
- One of the architects of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, stated that “Democracy signifies a way of life which consists of the fundamental ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity.” In order to uphold the aforementioned values, democracy was properly created in India on January 26, 1950.
- One of the world’s oldest civilizations, India has a rich cultural past and is united in its variety. Indian culture is distinct from other civilizations in that it preserves its ancient customs while incorporating new ones. India has advanced in many different ways on the social and economic fronts since gaining independence.
- By granting every adult citizen the right to vote on the first day following independence, India became the first country in the world to create political fairness. It has taken many democracies, including America and Britain, years to create political fairness.
- Because elections are the means by which the populace transfers its sovereignty, a fair and transparent election process is essential to the development of a strong democracy. India has a democratic electoral process that it can be proud of. The Fair Election Commission’s effectiveness allowed for the rapid and uninterrupted transfer of power to India, although military and dictatorial rule also took hold in numerous other independent nations.
- In India, only one emergency has ever been declared because of public outcry that the government was undermining democracy. As a result, the ruling Congress party was forced to sit in opposition for the first time.
- The Court of India has repeatedly declared legislative legislation and presidential directives unconstitutional in an effort to uphold democracy in the nation and safeguard citizens’ rights and freedoms.
Democracy in India face a number of obstacles:
- The turbulent events on the Red Fort on January 26, 2021 made it evident that India’s democracy has many obstacles even though it is now the greatest democracy in the world.
- The union of political democracy with economic democracy and social democracy is essential for its success. Economic democracy calls for equitable access to physical resources for each individual’s growth. People shouldn’t have a lot of economic differences, and no one should be able to take advantage of another. On the one hand, an environment of great poverty makes it impossible to construct a democratic country, while on the other, social democracy implies that there are few social privileges. However, neither of these has yet been widely adopted in India. One percent of the wealthy in our country own more than 85% of the nation’s wealth; the combined wealth of the nation’s 63 billionaires is equivalent to the whole budget. Along with this inequality, prejudice based on gender, ethnicity, and religion inhibits the nation from achieving true democracy.
- A significant issue with Indian elections has been the criminalization of politics and the use of financial influence. There are criminal proceedings pending against more than 200 MPs in the current Lok Sabha. Along with this, corruption and poverty in the nation have harmed the electoral process and bred hopelessness among the populace. The political environment has become poisonous due to the growing significance of “meat power,” “cash power,” the effects of casteism, communalism, and corruption, among other factors.
- India’s challenging, extensive, and protracted legal system has resulted in a state of justice there. The fairness of justice has occasionally been called into question as a result of bad judgement. Justice that is delayed is frequently equated with injustice. In our judicial system, there are currently over 3 lakh cases outstanding.
- In a democracy, both the civil service and the police are viewed as providers of services rather than as masters, as they did during the colonial era.
- Additionally, ideas like patriarchy and khap panchayat have harmed democracy in the nation. The basic social unit in India, the family, is also of concern because neither is democratic anymore.
Conclusion:
- India has made enormous strides toward democracy, it is true, but since gaining independence, the lofty principles that we ought to have ingrained in our culture and society have been completely subverted. Corruption, dowry, human hatred, and issues like violence, obscenity, and rape are now commonplace. India is currently the most populous country, however as our nation has been plagued by issues since ancient times, youth must actively participate in democratising the nation, community, and family.
