The Indian Polity A Democratic Diagnosis
Introduction:
- Our carefully designed parliamentary system aimed to achieve lawmaking, executive responsibility, approval of taxation measures and control of the national finances, as well as discussion of issues of public interest and concern.
Constitution of India:
- India “shall be a Union of States,” it said, and the provisions of Part XI of the Constitution would control its interactions with the States.
- The trinity of liberty, equality, and fraternity is the ultimate goal of social democracy, according to B.R. Ambedkar, and it may best be attained through the efficient operation of the legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch.
- These fundamental ideas were outlined in the Preamble of the Constitution and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of India in its Basic Structure doctrine.
- The difficulty was in getting the main components, starting with the first, to work together effectively. The facts at hand clearly show that its performance has been declining over the past decade, each session, and each year.
- It is obvious that Parliament is no longer a useful tool for oversight, accountability, and scrutiny. Instead, efforts are made to legitimise disruptive technologies developed by the opposition and unintentionally abandoned by the administration.
- Above all, the leadership of the day supports it by being silent, not showing up, or doing both, as well as by arriving noticeably late to the meetings of the standing committees. The ultimate result is a process of scrutiny, discussion, and disagreement that is waning.
- Aware opinion is worried about its derailment and the consequences, independent of periodic elections. Social media’s rise as a competing claimant to the role of representative in civil society has evolved as both complementary and antagonistic to the idea of challenging or enhancing the representativeness of Parliament.
- In addition to becoming more ineffective in terms of governance and legislation, parliament has grown more descriptively representative while also tending to evade accountability through bundling together.
- A result of this trend is the government’s attempts to alter the civil service’s nature and how it operates, leaving the employees “torn between conflicting loyalties” and impairing their capacity to act impartially.
Indian Democracy: Current Issues and Challenges:
- The task of integrating many ideologies, beliefs, dialects, and ways of life into a unified Indian character is complicated by the society’s pluralism, which is made worse by unequal access to resources, opportunities, and freedoms.
- Between the richest and poorest segments of society, there is growing economic disparity.
- Its manifestation is the appalling state of public scrutiny, accountability, and corruption. By weakening the legal system, caste, and community-based politics, this is made worse.
- The welfare state’s credibility has been damaged as a result of booming corporations, the monetization of public assets, and partisan interests that have eluded practically all institutions.
- heightened social polarisation and various political and non-political stakeholders’ manifestations of India’s past along different lines.
Steps to Take:
- Independent Secretariat of Election Commission of India: In order to have more autonomy and rule-making authority, the ECI recommended a constitutional amendment in April 2018. The Secretariat would be able to carry out its duties as effectively as possible.
- If found guilty of corrupt practises under the 1951 Representative of the Peoples Act, the candidates would be permanently expelled.
- Strict Monitoring of Election Campaign Funding Sources and Restricted Ban on Corporate Funding.
- Instead of outright rejecting criticism, the government ought to listen to it. Responses to suggestions that undermine democratic norms must be intelligent and polite.
- The judiciary and press are regarded as the cornerstones of Indian democracy and must be free from government intervention.
- Citizens must have equal vigilance and duty towards both their rights and obligations.
- a stronger focus on substantive democracy as opposed to a procedural one.
Conclusion:
- The inhabitants of the nation must therefore act immediately and consciously to ensure and defend the constitutional nature of the Indian politics and to establish the responsibility of diverse stakeholders. The actual AMRIT KAAL of our polity will only come about when we realise the dream and decision of our founding fathers.
