Editorial Analysis à 18 July 2022 à The Hindu
Issues Faced by Democracy in India
Introduction:
- Although evidence of democracy may be found in the presence of organisations like the Sabha, Samiti, and Vidath as well as numerous republics during the Vedic era of ancient India.
- However, the English Bloodless Revolution of 1688, the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century all had a significant impact on preserving the current form of democracy.
- Due to England’s great revolution, Parliament had to be accepted despite administrative policy and state restrictions.
- In addition, after decades of colonial rule, India has adopted parliamentary democracy.
Definition of democracy:
- The word’s Greek root “The English word “democracy” was coined from the Latin word “Cresscia” and the Greek word “Demos.”
- Since Demos means “common people” and Cressey means “rule,” democracy is the rule of the people.”
India’s move to democracy:
- According to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was one of the architects of the Indian Constitution, “Democracy denotes a way of life which comprises of the essential ideas of freedom, equality, and fraternity.” On January 26, 1950, democracy was properly established in India to respect the aforementioned ideals.
- India, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is unified in its diversity and has a rich cultural history. In contrast to other civilizations, Indian culture maintains its traditional practises while absorbing new ones. Since achieving independence, India has made numerous social and economic advancements.
- India was the first nation in the world to establish political fairness when it granted every adult citizen the right to vote on the first day after independence. Political justice has taken many democracies years to develop, notably America and Britain.
- A fair and transparent election process is crucial to the growth of a robust democracy since elections are the vehicle by which the people transfers its sovereignty. India can be proud of its democratic electoral system. Although military and authoritarian rule also spread to many other sovereign countries, the efficiency of the Fair Election Commission allowed for the quick and uninterrupted transition of power to India.
- Only one emergency has ever been proclaimed in India due to widespread complaints that the administration was harming democracy.
- As a result, the ruling Congress party was compelled to take its first ever seat in opposition.
- In an effort to sustain democracy in the country and protect citizens’ rights and liberties, the Court of India has repeatedly ruled that parliamentary legislation and presidential decrees are unconstitutional.
India’s democracies encounter a number of challenges:
- Even if India has the best democracy in the world right now, the unrest on the Red Fort on January 26, 2021, made it clear that there are still many challenges facing the country’s system of government.
- Its success depends on the integration of political, economic, and social democracies.
- Equitable access to physical resources is necessary for economic democracy and the development of each individual.
- No one should be able to take advantage of another, and there shouldn’t be many economic gaps between people.
- On the one hand, social democracy implies that there are few social privileges, while on the other, an atmosphere of extreme poverty makes it impossible to build a democratic country.
- But neither of them has yet become a common practise in India. More than 85% of the wealth in our country is owned by just one percent of the wealthy, and the total fortune of the 63 billionaires in our country is greater than the entire budget.
- In addition to this inequity, discrimination against people on the basis of their gender, ethnicity, or religion prevents the country from reaching full democracy.
- The illegality of politics and the use of money in elections has been a big problem in India.
- In the current Lok Sabha, there are criminal cases pending against more than 200 MPs.
- Along with this, the nation’s corruption and poverty have hurt elections and generated despair among the public. The influence of “meat power,” “cash power,” the impacts of casteism, communalism, and corruption, among other things, has increased, making the political climate toxic.
- India has a condition of justice as a result of its complex, vast, and drawn-out judicial system.
- On occasion, poor judgement has prompted people to wonder if justice is fair. Delay in justice is often connected with injustice.
- Currently, there are more than 3 lakh cases pending in our judicial system.
- Both the civil service and the police are seen as service providers in a democracy rather than as masters, as they were in the days of colonialism.
- Furthermore, concepts like patriarchy and khap panchayat have undermined the nation’s democracy. The fact that neither is any longer democratic raises concerns for India’s fundamental social unit, the family.
How to Proceed Ahead:
- Despite the fact that India has achieved significant progress toward democracy, the idealistic values that should have been instilled in our culture and society have been entirely undermined since we gained independence.
- These days, crimes like rape, violence, and obscenity are ubiquitous, as are corruption, dowry, and human hatred.
- The youth must actively take part in democratising the country, community, and family despite the fact that India is currently the most populous country in the world.
- This is because our country has been afflicted by problems since ancient times.
