Democracy and Misgovernance

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It was rightly said by the poet that the "old order changeth yielding place to new...lest one good custom corrupt the whole"; but one needs to rid oneself of such notions when it comes to Indian politics. India continues to remain a functioning anarchy, given the intractable nature of the political elites in negotiating present problems like drought, floods and energy crisis gripping the nation. While the opposition and media question the Prime Minister's leadership qualities, debate the legacy of Savarkar, reflect paranoia over the project of writing history and launch yatras to defend the national flag, a deep sense of alienation seems to have afflicted the common masses.

The drought situation in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and floods in Bihar and West Bengal have been confronted by turning the Nelson's eye, with hardly any relief while news channels are showing footage of people eating wild grass. This raises a paradox about democracy and governance, more so when the introductory section of the text of United Progressive Alliance's Common Minimum Programme states that, "the people of India have voted decisively...for parties wedded to the welfare of farmers, agricultural labour, weavers, workers and weaker sections...committed to the daily well-being of the common man across the country."

The first hundred days in office of the present government has been in targeting select institutions to purge the appointees of the previous regime, especially in educational institutions like NCERT and ICHR, removal of four state Governors belonging to a different political background, while being dogged by the controversy of appointing tainted ministers to the Cabinet. This was followed by Mani Shankar Aiyar, the Union Petroleum Minister pontificating about secularism after ordering the removal of a plaque in honour of Veer Savarkar at the Cellular jail. The drama surrounding the arrest and release of Uma Bharti, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, for defying curfew orders a decade back only heightened the confrontation between the government and the opposition with each trying to take advantage in the forthcoming elections in Maharashtra. The last two issues are further complicated by contradictory events and facts. Records indicate that the Congress leadership under Indira Gandhi had issued a stamp to honour Savarkar and even contributed Rs. 11,000 from her personal funds to the Savarkar Smriti Mandal. Secondly, the Karnataka State government's ambiguous stand on the withdrawal and reframing of the charges against Uma Bharti over the Idgah Maidan event, leaves many questions unanswered.

So the political lexicon of BSP - Electricity, Roads and Water (Bijli, Sadak and Pani) has been consigned to the dustbin of India's history. The census report, while providing ammunition to the political class, has unraveled a distressing declining sex ratio, indicating the poor state of women in democratic India and the hogwash surrounding the implementation of rules for protection of rights concerning gender, health and basic nutrition. This raises more questions about making India an InfoTech hub, while neglecting elementary issues like human security and protection of the weaker sections. Caste groups and alliances have benefited in the political spectrum, but have not provided any credible results in social sphere. The failure to deliver basic services seems to have propelled a renewed interest in political symbolism, namely a move for providing reservations for Muslims, and extending reservations to the private sector. The war cry of Lalu Yadav, Union Railways Minister regarding secularism and ordering a parallel probe in Godhra episode, does not absolve him of his caste and parochial political credentials or his alleged involvement in the fodder scam.

The model code drafted by the Centre for Good Governance provides some glimmer of hope when it urges the Central government to release funds to states linked with the implementation of the code - in terms of delivery of services to the citizens. It is yet to be seen whether the political class will accord priority to the welfare of the citizens, given its propensity to divert attention away from the core issues gripping the nation. Electoral politics witnesses contests of various demands and rights, and a change of regime by the ballot is a hallmark of any democracy. What is yet to be acknowledged is that governance and delivery mechanism are an inalienable part of any government in a democratic system.

Published on 30 September 2004, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

URL: 

http://www.ipcs.org/comm_select.php?articleNo=1515