DEMOCRACY IN INDIA: Essay Writing

DEMOCRACY IN INDIA

Since the split in Congress in 1969 the socio-political conditions in the country have been undergoing a steep fall. There are a large number of social laws as may not be found in any democratic country in the world. But the implementation of laws is almost nil in most of the parts of the country. If they are honestly implemented by a conscientious officer he has to do so at the risk of his transfer. The Parliament and State Assemblies enact laws and pass them on to the administration not for their execution but for their non-execution. Educated people feel that the legislation is very good but the execution is bad. The poor illiterate or even the literate common man does not know anything about the legislation. He has to face a government officer, a representative or an official of the executive machinery who is seldom helpful. Thus he too abuses the executive right from the Prime Minister to the peon in the Taluqa office. It is a slur upon the reputation of the executive head of the State.

The experience of the people has continued for such a long time that they have lost faith in the system of governance. They want to have a change. They think that the present cabinet system with Prime Minister or the chief Minister as its head has failed to govern the country. They have lost faith in the electoral system which eliminates the good and the honest and brings the mediocre to power who are backed by muscle power and black money.

The common man is advised by the leaders to maintain discipline, believe in secularism, discard casteism, hate linguistic and regional parochialism and shun nepotism. But he sees that the legislatures—the meeting place of these leaders are the most indiscipline institutions. He sees that secularism is thrown to dogs when the party which has been ruling since independence joins hands with Muslim League, a communal party based on religion. He finds linguistic region. He just thinks has he alone to shun nepotism when the Prime Ministers have been grooming their progeny to be their successors.

Tolerance is the essence of democracy. Judiciary is its backbone. One after the other leaders have been showing their firm faith in the unity of the Nation. But the common man finds these very leaders, with Knives of different size and shape putting deep scars on the face of the motherland. One would bring a fresh divide with the knife of Mandal Commission. Another would raise the dispute of river water as if the two or three states are different countries. Still another would conspire to murder the Prime Minister while his rival would get thousands of people of a particular community killed in a counter conspiracy. People having sympathy with secessionists are given ministerial berths; persons responsible for religious conversions are Bharat Ratna. There are regions where the national flag is replaced by the flag of a neighbouring country. People belonging to militant organizations like ULFA and a number of Muslim militant organizations are openly trained in foreign countries while units of Militants belonging to a neighbouring country are supported by the people in high places. The dejure head of the executive and the defacto head of Judiciary look helplessly at the non execution of the law of the land. The doubt arises whether the country is ripe enough—the people are mature enough-to bear the yoke of democracy