Thursday, November 30, 2006

Democratically Yours

I spend this, rather gorgeous, Saturday evening sitting on my laptop and trying to figure out and apprehend the weird and peculiar ways in which the (so called) Indian Democracy functions.

To begin with let me quote those famous words of Wintson Churchill, which he said during the process of transfer of power to India; “Power will go into the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters. Not a bottle of water nor a loaf of bread shall escape taxation. Only air will be free and the blood of these hungry millions will be on the head of Mr.Atlee. These are men of straw whom no trace will be found after a few years.” 

It has been more than fifty years since India won its Independence, but every single word of Mr. Churchill’s prediction seems to have turned into reality.

Indian Democracy: Is it real or is it 'sham'?
The biggest democracy or the biggest hoax??

I believe the latter and I have my reasons for saying so...

The concepts like universal franchise, parliament, judiciary, etc. which are the hallmarks of a true democracy are completely alien to India. These concepts were borrowed from the West when India got Independence but thanks to our corrupt politicians and our complacency they never truly got implemented. Just holding elections every five years doesn’t qualify India as a democracy. Every five years millions and millions of the hard earned money of the tax payers is wasted in this ‘biggest publicity scam of the century’. The Indian people hardly have a say in the policies of the government (not to forget the CASTE based reservations being imposed on us by Arjun Singh and his protégé inspite of the widespread protests). Politicians in India behave as oppressive despots and RULE over the people of the country. 

 There are no morals in Indian politics; there is only expedience. Muscle and money power is the only decisive factor in elections in India. We have corrupt rascals, murderers, hooligans and underworld dons not only contesting elections but winning them too. 

The following describes politics and politicians in India the best. In the words of Walt Whitman, the great poet of American democracy who wrote about the congressmen in his own country in 1880: “The members who composed it were, seven-eighths of them, the meanest kind of bawling and blowing officeholders, office-seekers, pimps, malignants, conspirators, murderers, fancy-men, custom-house clerks, contractors, kept-editors, spaniels well-train`d to carry and fetch, jobbers, infidels, disunionists, terrorists, mail-riflers, slave-catchers, pushers of slavery, creatures of the Presidents, creatures of would-be Presidents, spies, bribers, compromisers, lobbyers, sponges, ruin`d sports, expelled gamblers, policy-backers, monte-dealers, duelists, carriers of conceal’d weapons, deaf men, pimpled men, scarr’d inside with vile disease, gaudy outside with gold chains made from the people`s money and harlots` money twisted together; crawling, serpentine men, the lousy combining’s and born freedom-sellers of the earth”.--- (WALT WHITMAN: Origins of attempted Seccession,1880’) 

 Though, the Indian Constitution guarantees equal protection of law to all citizens, it is all ‘hogwash’. Law and order simply does not exist in India. And if at all it exists, it is only for the rich and the powerful. Mindless brats of our respected MP’s and MLA’s get away with anything, EVEN MURDER. 

Murder of model Jessica Lal by Mannu Sharma just because she refused him a drink as the bar had closed down, Rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo, Murder of Nitish Katara by Vikas Yadav, Murder of Satyendra Dubey, AK-47 being recovered from the residence of Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan’s rash driving that claimed the lives of the poor people sleeping on the pavement are just some of the many instances where the accused have deliberately been let-off by the connivance of the politicians, police and the judiciary. The victims and their families have to fight prolonged and seemingly impossible battles, braving all odds in the hope of getting justice, for years together without any respite while the haughty sons of affluence resort to every trick in their armour to scuttle the process of a fair trial. 
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 Communalism is yet another undoing of the Indian democracy. People are divided on the basis of caste, creed and religion. The seeds of hatred have been sowed deep in the hearts of various communities in India by the politicians who manipulate their religious sentiments for personal gains. This mutual suspicion amongst people of different religions and the ever present threat of internal violence is a big challenge that the (non-existent) Indian democracy is faced with today. Language is another big barrier. Our Constitution, judiciary, administration, etc work through a language that a major chunk of the population doesn’t even understand. To conclude with; the Indian democracy functions in a very undemocratic society. 


However, the people of this country are also to be blamed for the sorry state of affairs in the country, the complete anarchy and practical non-existence of freedom and the gradual decline of democratic values in the society. It’s time for a more constructive participation than the mere casting of ballot. It’s time we stop pledging our blind allegiance to political parties and hold them accountable for their (mis)deeds. Democracy or No-democracy, India will survive because we are some sort of eternal people. Over the years India has survived not because of its rulers and leaders but inspite of them. However, we need to pull up our socks and be far more pro-active and do our bit if at all we want a taste of REAL DEMOCRACY.