Is it going to fail ?

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Bhasin
The architects of Modern India as well as the Constitution of this great country in view of its ethnic character might have thought to give Post-Independence India the shape of Parliamentary Democracy instead of Autocratic or Despotic form of government. On 26th January 1950 when we adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves the great Constitution of this country and further solemnised to Constitute India into Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic might not have thought that the democracy that basically is the government of the people by the people and for the people will ultimately become government of the goons by the goon and for the goons.
But one man who in true sense was the intellectual giant and undoubtedly the “Father of India Constitution” while debating in the Constituent Assembly on 25th November 1949, viewed, “Would India, becoming an independent country on the 26th January 1950, be able to retain its independence, having been adept in the art of losing its independence and that too by the infidelity and treachery of some of its own people? Will history repeat itself? It is this thought that fills me with anxiety.” He went on adding, “Would India, becoming a democratic country on the 26th January 1950, be able to maintain its democratic Constitution or will she lose it again, as India has the democratic system in its ancient republics and its Buddhist Bikshu Sanghas and of loosing that democratic system. This democratic system India lost. Will she lose it second times?” He cautioned, “It is quite possible in a country like India that there is a danger of democracy giving place to dictatorship. It is quite possible for this new born democracy to retain its form but give place to dictatorship in fact.” In the year 2016, how much true these words are, we can all well imaging seeing the present scenario in the country.
In the initial few decades we witnessed greatest democratic leaders in Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel, Lohia so on and so forth followed in line by Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Jagjeevan Ram, Charan Singh, Moorarji Desai. Later in the series were Bahuguna, Chandersekhar, V.P.Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. They were and are the leaders of masses achieving political heights by way of their hard work in public life and by extreme sense of democratic values. Unfortunately slowly and steadily the real generation of politicians who were the face value of Parliamentary Democracy are fading away. There are very few in present generation of politicians who can be considered as having real character of politicians of a democratic country.    The success of democracy depends upon equitable wealth, proper education to each and every section of the society; people’s interest in the affairs of the state and condition of emergence of good leadership must exist. Leaders should be bold, intelligent and honest. Intelligent and enlightened public opinion is must vis a vis right to vote properly without monetary and other influences. Contrary to this in about last one and half decade, Indian democracy is witnessing entry of Actors, Directors, Goons and Industrialists etc in the political scene as direct representatives of people and also nominated/selected representatives. It seems as if all the political parties big/small are adopting the policy of Money, Media and Mafia as the key to success to achieve political power.
If we look into the prerequisites for successful democracy like equitable wealth, proper education to each and every section of the society, the existing trends reveals that even after 68 years of independence we have failed in this aspect and still are not clear how to achieve it. The reasons may be any thing from socio-political and economic imbalances already existing in our society to lack of will at the level of incumbent governments of the day from time to time. Hence these parameters for successful democracy still remained to be achieved. The rich is becoming rich in this country while poor remains as such. These imbalanced socio-political and economic trends are making people to lose interest in the affairs of the country that is very dangerous sign. This loss of interest can well be imagined from poll percentage that is remaining less than satisfactory election after election in almost whole country. The intellectual class of this country is showing more and more disinterest in casting their vote.
In view of prevailing trends in politics like entry of economically sound and goons in the politics there are very less chances of emergence of good leadership in future. The present trend of the elections is to get party mandate by way of spending money and win the election again by spending huge amounts of money. In every Lok Sabha, the entry of millioners is ever increasing. The people with attitude of social work who want to serve the people by getting elected in Assemblies/Parliament but without money have no standing either in party folds or else. Another wrong trend is the unhealthy debates we are witnessing day in and day out the peoples representatives are showing in the Assemblies and also in the Parliament. In every sitting more and more time is wasted in inter party fights than discussing important issues that are required for progress of the Indian society and country as such. These people’s representatives go up to the extent of abusing each other physically as well as verbally. All the political parties are lacking will in passing a bill thereby, restricting the entry of individuals with dubious character into the Assemblies/Parliament as people’s representatives. Each party wants to through mud on other to achieve political mileage. No party/individual politicians think in term of progress of the country and society as such.
As per the father of Indian Constitution there are three main requisites for Parliamentary system of Democracy: (i) It means negation of hereditary rule. No person can claim to be hereditary ruler that has no sanction in the Parliamentary system of Government. (ii) Any law, any measure applicable to the public must be based on the advice of the people chosen by the people. It indirectly indicates, “Law Breaker should not be the Law Maker”. (iii) Parliamentary system of Democracy means that at a stated period those who want to advice the head of the state must have confidence of the people in themselves renewed. So a definite period of one Parliament has to be decided. He further said that two pillars of the Parliamentary Democracy are a responsible and sincere opposition and free and fair elections.
Babasaheeb Ambedkar, the architect of Constitution of India in his speech delivered on 28th October 1951 at DAV College Jalandhar said, “If Parliamentary Democracy in this country fails and it is bound to fail…., the only result will be rebellion, anarchy and communism. If the people in power do not realise that people will not tolerate hereditary authority, then this country is doomed. Either communism will come destroying individual liberty and our independence or the section of people who are disgruntled for the failure of the party in power will start rebellion and anarchy will prevail. I want you to take note of these eventual certainties and if you wish that Parliamentary system of Government and Parliamentary Democracy prevail in this country, if you are satisfied that we will be assured of our liberty of thought, speech and action, if we should preserve our independence, if we cherish the inherent right of individual liberty, then it is your duty as student, as intelligent community of our country to strive utmost to cherish this Parliamentary system of Democracy of Government in its true spirit and work for it.  ” How much true are the words of this great intellectual giant when we assess the situation of present Parliamentary Democracy in our country? Are we heading towards collapse of Parliamentary Democracy? This is up to common man, social workers and intelligentsia of this country to analyse and decide how to save the Parliamentary Democracy so that it may not collapse.
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