The Future of Indian Democracy

Talking about future of Indian democracy, Lord Meghnad Desai makes an interesting suggestion about the prospective scene when the next parliament sits. Anticipating it as a “ helter-skelter” ride, he mentions how a third front can get together to give a new meaning to coalition – a front which is a conglomerate of various regional parties which come together with a comprehensive Common Minimum Program , bedding adios to dependency on two primary parties – the BJP and the Congress.

However novel and with heart in place, the above seems just an anticipation, or utmost, just hope. First, the choice of regional parties coming together to form such a coalition is as perplexing as it can get. Who do you choose between a SP and a BSP in UP or between DMK and AIDMK in Tamil Nadu? You have hardly anything to choose between these parties, however much your heart is inclined towards one of these. Additionally, parties agnostic to the ideology, what I would call the “potato parties” (so as to mingle effortlessly in any vegetable) like the LJP and the TMC, will anyways be hell bent on being the part of “any” government. But, just wanting to be a part of the government in itself knocks out the basis of such a coalition, which would then lack ideology of ethical Governance.

Another assumption of such a coalition is their ability to come up with a detailed Common Minimum Program. I don’t think that these parties can come to one common ground unless the issue is that to hike MP salaries, or on ‘people’ front, to keep the rail fares to the minimum. Austerity is missing from the former while concern from the latter. Why could not they increase the rail fare by a reasonable amount and communicate to the ‘not-so-affluent’ Indians as to how that would translate into a better and safer journey still eludes me.

We all have seen empirically that the BJP led/supported states are doing better on economic and political front, be it Gujarat or Bihar. They are not mistake – proof, but nevertheless, one finds good intent in their governance. Hopefully, they continue to do good jobs in the states while also be cognizant of supporting the current UPA government in their endeavor to introduce some well-thought- after reforms. This would not only lead to their gaining traction in the eyes of the youth who would play a major role in deciding the results of the next general elections in 2014, but will also give them a chance to revive a party which after the visionary Vajpayee seems to be lacking the necessary guidance. That said and done, the major force behind all these possibilities is us, the people of India, who need to get inked indelibly and exercise our right to choose the government of our choice.

One caveat of the above article is that it is written with a vision to have an ideal democracy, as envisioned by our forefathers. This day as I write, Lincoln died almost 150 years back. It unfortunately, seems symbolic that our democracy is not so living either.