FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN INDIA
Since the split in Congress in1969 the socio- political conditions in the country have been undergoing a steep fall. There is an abundance of good social legislation as may not be found in any democratic country in the world. But the common man just wonders whether he is meant to be the show piece in the sphere of history. 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. Educational 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 peon in the Taluqa office. It is a black spot on the reputation of the executive head of the State.
The experience of the people has continued for such a long time that they have 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 at 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 corrupt to power who are backed by muscle power and unaccounted money.
Tolerance is the essence of democracy. Judiciary is its backbone. One after the other leaders has 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 ad fresh divide with 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. There are regions where the national flag is replaced by the fall of a neighboring country. People belonging to militant organizations like ULFA and a number of Sikh and Muslim militant organizations openly trained in foreign countries while units of militants belonging to a neighboring country are supported by the people in high places. The dejure head of 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.