Indian Democracy – is it shining or is it a sham?
Our politics is going berserk. Just because the bomb blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore took the news off the cashgate scandal (where three BJP MPs alleged in the Lok Sabha that they got Rs three crore each for abstaining in Tuesday’s trust vote on the Nuclear Deal) BJP MP Sushma Swaraj implied that the Congress had set off the bomb blasts (!). She did say yesterday that it was her “personal view’ and not that of the BJP but I wonder how many are buying it.
Why make all this fuss over cashgate anyway when the BJP (and the public) know that all political parties have MP’s who willingly sell their trust? The drama over cashgate was some sort of a face-saving measure for the BJP when they knew they were in for a defeat…no, not face-saving measure. I should say therapy session. Their therapy was interrupted by the bomb blasts and the naton’s attention “diverted”. If the media wasn’t reporting it how would the BJP feel vindicated?
More than Cashgate, it’s the other deals that I find more revolting.
Here are few which are an open secret:
- Shibu Soren promised the coal ministry by the UPA government in return for his vote (and that of several of his MP’s). Soren was once accused of murder and is at present charged of inciting arson and violence…
But wait, why are we haranguing the Congress here? After all, a senior BJP leader flew to Kolkata to meet with Soren and offered him the Jharkhand chief minister’s post if he ditched the UPA! - The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, was in shock when the cases against her (in which she has been accused of corruption) came miraculously alive just before the Trust Vote…rumours flew thick that it was the deal that her rival Mulayam Singh Yadav had clinched with the Congress in return for his trust. If Mayawati accused the government of going soft on Mulayam in similar cases, she is right on target isn’t she!
- Mayawati, with the backing of the BJP and the “principled” Communist party used the communal card in Uttar Pradesh (she called the nuclear deal anti-Muslim). And (again with the backing of parties mentioned above) she was also ready to “offer tickets for the next Lok Sabha elections” to encourage defectors from the UPA.
If you don’t think this is more disgusting than Cashgate, then read more:
- In UP’s Nani central jail, expelled SP MP Atiq Ahmed was approached by Mulayam Singh’s emissaries “to ensure that he did not walk over to the BSP” and vote against the UPA.
- On the other hand, In UP’s Fatehpur jail, expelled BSP MP Umakant Yadav was visited by a senior BSP leader and UP Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui and promised that cases against him will be withdrawn if he voted against the UPA!
- Three MP’s – Rajesh Ranjan (alias Pappu Yadav) the RJD MP from Madhepura, Mohammed Shahabuddin, MP from Siwan and Suraj Bhan, a Lok Jan Shakti Party MP from Ballia all got bail so they could participate in the trust vote…pro UPA.
- The UPA government renamed Lucknow airport after former Prime Minister the late Chaudhary Charan Singh at the behest of Charan Singh’s son Ajit Singh from Rashtriya Lok Dal who had some votes he could offer to the UPA.
- One more. DMK was promised Ram Sethu. DMK wants to build a shipping canal (and it might destroy the bridge formation that is considered holy by Hindus) but the government has been dragging its feet due to fear that the Hindu majority will revolt. But as DMK supported the Congress on the vote, is it a cooicidence that the Ram Sethu issue has come alive again? Thankfully though the Central government is doing it with greater sensitivity than it had before. The government has now acknowledged the existence of Ram (in an affadavit they had denied Ram’s existence), a God that millions of Hindus believe in and are also considering alternative routes.
And naturally all of us in India are castigating ourselves because of all this wheeling and dealing by our politiicians where even criminals have been wooed …but wait a minute…there are people who feel that Indian democracy has in fact triumphed. Hear this:
Scenes of currency bundles brandished in India’s parliament Tuesday might well go down as a dark chapter in the institution’s history but here in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the very process of the trust vote is being hailed as a sheer beauty of democracy.
Well, come to think of it, we do have something to be proud of. Everyone made his own decision, there were rebels and there were followers. There were honest politicians and dirty ones. But finally whatever their motive, all of them voted. Cheers to that.
(Photograph is from Zee News)
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Politicians distrusted all over the world
Are rich countries less corrupt?
Mayawati’s corruption cases
Corruption in slum development project in Maharashtra
A wide angle view of India 
As an underdeveloped country still we are lucky to have a democracy in function…still Govts need to woo people, govts need to think what to do to attract people…A Govt need to win the trust vote to remain in power..etc
But worst possible politics in this country is in the states of Gujarat and maharashtra where killing and beating of people form an integral part of politics
Mr Bal thackeray recently suggested that Hindus should become suicide bombers to kill muslims
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/19/stories/2008061961311300.htm
And he mean it..later this statement of his was defended and justified by spokespersons of his party
And everybody knows how Narendra modi killed people to remain in people
Vivek, I always think it’s better to look at the political situation from a national perspective, not regional. I frankly think that violence is a part of politics in most parts of the country, if not all. As for Bal T, he is on the decline and makes sensational statements which are highlighted by the media. I think one needs to ignore him completely. In any case, this post is about trust vote politics and if you can tell me of the deal that Shiv Sena made with the BJP, it would be interesting. – Nita.
Adding to above i feel our politicians should learn from regional politics of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Haryana..and criminality in politics of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat should be punished…Central Politics being a mix lie in between
I still believe and have faith in our constitution and politics..and we have been lucky to have great prime ministers always (except VP singh & Devegowda in my opinion)…Most of our prime ministers have been true statesmen..Mr Nehru deserves the credit for India being a successful democracy and it’s success in engineering & technology…Indira Gandhi laid foundation of a powerful India cabpable to defend itself, Rajiv Gandhi brought revolutions in telecommunication and industry, Narsimha Rao along with Manmohan singh opened the economy, Mr Vajpayee went ahead with it and further strengthened India as a responsible nuclear power..and we all have scene what Mr Manmohan singh has done…..
And yes we have very notorious politicians too …but for that we only are respoonsible
neet, i am on wordpress!!!
Nita, I had a similar comment on odzer’s blog. You have to understand what democracy in India emphasizes. The answer is appropriate (if only in number) representation of all the different groups in our society, be it Dalits, Tamils or Muslims, by their elites. Now some of these elites have been clever and done a relatively good job for their community (Tamils, Christians), some have failed miserably (Biharis, Muslims). And lately even the Dalits have become very prominent with Mayawati and the BSP. I feel like India is going through a very painful and uncertain phase of democratization, where previously suppressed (or dormant) groups are claiming their rights. How this will turnout depends on the actions and decisions of individual Indians.
Vivek rightly pointed out that Gujarat is a much more serious blot on Indian democracy than this “cashgate” , but would such a thing had happened if the Muslim leaders had emphasized education in their community ?
Btw, Vivek, Indira Gandhi is also responsible for the current situation in Kashmir, she was authoritarian.
I do not know about democracy in India. Real democracy means representative government. In India people are afraid of the state and its power. The people who run the state are afraid of the people. They have surrounded themselves with armed guards etc etc. Indian government still is pretty much a colonial government, the only difference is the Union Flag has been replaced. As a kid I have grown up in Punjab of the 80’s and 90’s in an environment where I have seen and observed how bad it can really get. I have also seen it get better. Fear is pretty much the central aspect that is used to rule India. Fear of instability, fear of disintegration, fear of its neighbours, fear of losing our democracy. If there is fear status quo can exist. May be if we do with our national insecurity we can emerge as a stronger country. I have two small suggestions, protect the people by law in a witness protection program that expose corruption. Make political parties funded by the state and make sure every politician is raided by the Income Tax people and balance sheets of all parties are audited by them. I think these two can have some interesting results. They will not improve indian democracy drastically but I suspect they will set things in motion.
Hi Nita,
I agree–all that happened is reprehensible, but what could be the alternative? It’ll be insane to argue that alternatives are available in our neighbourhood.
As a student of History, I wish to remind that this country had gone to dogs when central authority had weakened. I’m afraid this sort of moral weakening of politicians of national stature does not augur well for us.
When History fails to explain, mythology takes over. Are we waiting for some reincarnation of Gandhi? Yes, I’m talking of “sambhamami yuge-yuge”.
Thanks.
Nanda
Nita
i dont think violence is part of politics in most parts of india..for example lalu in bihar need not kill or beat people of certain community to fetch public support..and BJP’s communal politics in Uttar Pradesh was limited to demolishing a structure but not killing the people..NOWHERE else state Govts support communal violence
Also, i dont think Mr thackeray’s statements are to be taken lightely , he is still patriarch of most influentional regional party in his state..and he has done such things all over his political career..recently his supporters entered Taj Mahal to perform Puja and hence tried to disturb communal harmony of the wonderful city….they only excavated pitch of a cricket stadium to stop pakistanis to play there….his party is busy in creating communal disturbance everywhere in India
Vivek, I thought I was quite unaware of many political issues, but I think I know more than you! 🙂 Ofcourse politics is violent in India, most of Inida. Have you forgotten West Bengal? And you mean in Bihar political candidates are not murdered? I don’t want to go into detail as to various cases, because motives, reasons, intensity, type, etc all varies from place to place. But if you say that violence is not a part of parcel of politics in India I disagree strongly. And please don’t bring regional issues into this. I don’t want this post to deteriorate into regional bashing. You are lucky someone has not come here and give it back to you word for word! And also it is an acknowledged fact that Bal T is a has-been. Thanks in advance for not inflaming this issue. – Nita.
nice post
presentation is impeccable
found the uae note most interesting
What was the bangaru laxman tehelka – a routine fact of life of politicians taking under the table funds – and it was blown out of proportion – the fact is the cream of Indian polity stay aloof of politics and leave it to the fixers, criminals, mafia or the people for whom politics is family business has lead to this situation
remember the film nayakan – or its hindi version with anilkapoor ?
All said, people cannot stand the statements that the politicians are making(not that their acts are something that is praiseworthy). From the ‘Anitmuslim Nuclear deal’ to ‘Congress planting the bomb in BJP states’ . I dont know whom they are trying to make a fool out of !. oh wait a min, its the public.
I seriously do not know, whether to be proud of living in largest democracy or to be ashamed of kind of politics in the country.
But whom to blame, we the people select and sent all the MPs to represent us.
Are not we equally responsible for allowing people like Soren,Atiq ahmed and lot many to hold a position so responsible?
But who will bring the change??
Rightly said by Madhavan in the movie RDB, to change the system, we have to be part of it.
How many of learned people, who really can bring about a change,want to stay away from politics? and why?
I have thousand such questions in mind, without any answers.
I know even I am doing nothing .
Indian democracy is a young reality having been in existence for only six decades.
In this day and age, every section of the population feels the need to assert their presence and and be at the forefront.
There is a competitive scramble for resources and a constant tug-of-war between the haves and have-nots.
I remember we had a training programme in “Team Building”. The whole process of how teams are formed and the painful transition they have to undergo before they fuction as a cohesive unit were subject of intense debate.
When persons from disparate backgrounds (as in our case) are put together in a team, such groups normally pass through the following various phases of
– hostility towards each other
– struggle to impose one’s agenda on the group
– pulling apart in all directions
– bickerings and unpleasantness
– realisation that the existence of group is paramount
– reconciling with the concept of team play
– tolerating your team members, and finally
– co-operating with each other and working as one team.
I guess India as a nation and our chaotic democracy are still in the early stages of this transition, but evolve we will.
It is a sheer miracle that not only have we survived as a country but the seeds of democracy are firmly sown. Professional conduct of elections, smooth transfer of power, acceptance of parliament as a rrelevant supreme body are great achievements.
You only have to see so many failed democracies around the world to cherish what we have. It is our collective effort that will wipe away the blots that dot our landscape.
hmmm well well indian democracy is shining since the BJP used the slogan “India Shining” though nuthin shined for them atleast.
According to me indian democracy is shining ofcozzz itz shining though i was freaked out when a private channel ‘AXN’ aired the famous mike-chair-table throwing parliament incident tht happened few yrz ago in itz “most funniest videos” show.
i mean for godz sake tht nt funny itz crazy.(does indian officials knw abt tht?)
i juzz read few other comments on this
wid all respect Mr sharad said
Are not we equally responsible for allowing people like Soren,Atiq ahmed and lot many to hold a position so responsible?
No sir we r nt,if they were elected by ppl
they wnt b called “BAHU BHALI” isnt it?
i m sure we all have heard abt booth capturing and all
rite?
Not only india in the entire world the main source of energy on which politics survives is FEAR
fear of having anther bombblast,fearof another hindu-muslim fights if bjp cmes to power,fear of muslims being mre powerful if congress cmes to pwr
It was the fear tht helped bush twice,making d ppl believe afghans had chemical n nuclear weapons n we all knw wat they had “OIL”
As far as Indian democracy is concerned we do have sme gud n sme bad politians so as u accept gud we shud accept there r sme bad ones too
cnt we have an aptitude test for all the candidates who stand for elections???
hmm…what will they give you and me(when i am 18] for voting? well that is if we are allowed to vote…
i have always said that democracy is an hypocrisy and it is proved time and again…i just wish i was wrong…
if we vote it is the better of the two….if we don’t,who cares they will vote themselves…
someone anyone please change the education system here….thats where the problem is i think…
education system is the worst in india among all countries. colonial hangover still continues. to prove to be the best one does not need to learn everything. history/geography/are waste subjects for those who do not wish to learn history & geography. similarly instead of learning hindi throughout the schooling period one should learn different prominent languages every two years (including foriegn languages). same with the third language as well. make it elementary so that the child is just able to manage how to read and write a variety of languages. there is no chance of physical growth from 6th std onwards. children are burdened and stooped with heavy books. at home they are given homework which the teacher should have taught them in the class. hence many children miss physical activities.
it is essential for a boy/girl to sufficiently shine in the college. the art of speaking on the dias/ex tempore/ just a minute etc. all add to the child’s later personality. parents have a responsibility to equip their children with a few exquisite gifts which would make them popular in later stage professional colleges/hostels etc. (many a times a junior escapes ragging just because he can mime/crack a joke/show some simple tricks etc., all of which makes the incumbent an instant hit with the seniors.
everyone likes someone who can smile and smile openly. the one who can crack party jokes is an instant hit in a working environment. in fact i would even venture thus far to say that most of the guys who go up the corporate ladder are those who can do some such tricks during offical parties. they get noticed, their confidence levels increase. playing a guitar properly and belting out some western hits is still the darling of residential schools/colleges. and if one can drum (oh my! there is one aspiring neil peart) or play the flute or the violin (everyone dreams of equalling karen briggs or yervinyan)…
western kids, i understand, have a choice of doing that something extra by dumping all that which is trash. with computers/internet and travel agents rampant a youngster seeking a job abroad can fairly get around without knowing which end of the globe is africa and how far is it away from north america. well…it might look good on quiz shows but instead of manufacturing young, stooped over, oldies if we can manufacture handsome six footers with straight strong spines obtained by such essential extras like adventure sports/rapelling/ or pure domicile ones such as bad minton/cricket/basket ball/volley ball or the plain parallel bars. muscle is required on the biceps. well…we, in india, are specialising in growing the brain muscles of our children.
You know, to become a Civil services officer one has to go through a lot and clear a high profile exam. To become and IPS too we have exams, training and physical fitness. We have educational requirements for all of the Govt. Posts. Only politics and to be a politician, one need not have an educational background. This might probably be relevant in those days, but I think it is quickly fading away.
Atleast, if we set some basic ground rules for politicians it might be better. Politicians have to be educated if they are not, have to be trained in Administration when they are elected and more applicable things.
But unfortunately, the laws are made by politicians and they will easily vote against it. Chicken or egg! Cat chasing mouse! I believe that is the only way to revive our govt. to bring policies in line with current situation.
Indian democracy is….a shining sham. Some see the shining part only. Some of these ‘shining’ stars have limited knowledge and/or understanding of what really goes on either due to distance or due to relative ignorance. For others, including many in the media, the sham is a minor irritant to be wished away because they are having the time of their life and enjoying unfettered freedom, untouched by the realities of life that ordinary Indians have to confront .
God knows why our politicians do mud slinging at each other when they all are dirty!! Reminds me of the saying those who live in glasshouses should not throw stones at others.
I agree with Dinesh that a basic education should be made compulsory for our politicians. Had u seen Govinda (an MP) floundering when asked about his view on Nuclear Deal?? Such show pieces have to be rooted out from Indian politics.
As for whether our Indian democracy and seeing the other side example u gave of UAE, its like curse for someone but blessing for someone else. Its all relative.
Nita, the very fact that we are discussing these issues threadbare tells me that democracy in India is alive and kicking, albeit in need of some integrity and maturing. But as they say, countries deserve their governments: look around and see how many people are ready to cheat their way to success, no? How can we expect people in power to be radically different?
Having said that, I appreciate India’s democracy much more when I am outside the country. It’s impossible to fathom how diverse we really are until we view it from a place of relative homogeneity. We have survived despite those differences.
I am the eternal optimist 🙂 As Gandhi said, be the change you want to see around you.
@ Dinesh Babu, I agree in essence with your argument that politicians need to be “educated”, but making it a condition to be elected won’t work (yet) in a country that is so deeply discriminatory: you need desperate, downtrodden people to rise to power first in order to no longer be desperate and downtrodden: e.g. Laloo Yadav, Mayawati,etc.
It will happen eventually. Most of the younger generation politicians are getting educated.
Yes, but I agree some training after getting elected could be useful.
SS
India Crumbs
Thanks all for these comments. I really appreciate the way people have taken time to give their views and that too in detail. All these comments put together is far more valuable than my post and I can’t thank you all enough!
Vikram, not just Kashmir, but also Bhindranwale! All our politicians are guilty and as you said the leaders have to rise to the occasion. If they don’t their communities flounder.
Odzer those are indeed great suggestions. Unfortunately the witness protection programme is something not practiced at all here.
Mavin, your words are indeed inspiring. I like the way you have mentioned the various stages, very relevant, thanks.
SaNjAy, I agree, political parties do operate through fear and intimidation. And why only aptitude test, why not a psychological test to ensure we don’t get criminal minded people.
Vishesh, remember that picture on your blog, the cloud with the silver lining? Our democracy has it’s silver lining, even though now there are so many dark clouds.
Dinesh Babu, Reema, these politicians will simply buy degrees! But yes, ofcourse education needs to be made compulsory…but I think education for all will help in some way in this. If India can manage to educated (properly, in good schools) every single citizen…that’s a dream!
Snigdha, I am an eternal optimist too. I see our democracy thriving despite the corruption and it’s amazing! And as you pointed out, we forget that our politicians are one of us…we need to change first!
Vivek, A. N. Nanda, Prax, Xylene, Sharad, Vinod Sharma, thanks
I am of the view that Indian democracy can perform better if CBI is made as a constitutional authority like Election Commission. Now as the CBI is under the control of central government, each and every political party wants to join the central government for their safe existence, to shield their corrupt activities and also to threaten their political rivals.
Politics can be very divisive. It would be surprising if India was an exception. I think it is more a matter of manners or decency than of the political system how politicians react to challenges. Does India have an institution similar to the ICAC in Hong Kong?
You can bet that there is horse-trading going on in any political system. Just that the public doesn’t hear as much about it in non-democratic countries…
Nita, I think Sushma Swaraj has lost it. The last time when she made an equally wise comment was when she said that she will shave her head if Sonia Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister of the country. It is acceptable when an illiterate buffoon makes a statement like that (there are plenty of those in our parliament) but when an educated and sensible politician makes a comment like that it seems like she is abusing out intellect.
According to me Our democracy lies in between ‘Shining’ & ‘Sham’.
Long way to go…..
its really a shame.
Its shame even if its true and even if its false.
Nandkishore Gitte
Life at sea
I think the supposed virtue of democracy has become the emporer’s new clothes in most of the world these days. I am glad that China stays the childish.
Politicians are playing games with each other in the name of politics and democracy ..
and they are keeping the whole nation at stake…
murderers as politicians is totally obnoxious
ITs a shame..
I have lost faith in these politicians…
and in our democracy…
guqin, India has had a democratic political system for the last 60 years. So its a bit unfair to call it the ’empreror’s new clothes’, although obviously it has its flaws. There are many other post-colonial nations in the world (Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia) that have suffered even more, perhaps due to a lack of democracy. I wont say more.
Oh, I came to check it out: I sent in a lengthy comment a couple of days back and just before the submission the power went off. The comment was lost forever, to the enormous invisible benefit of your readers and yourself. I am sorry, though!
Vikram, I was refering to “the supposed virtue of democracy” in today’s world but democracy itself. It is neither fashionable nor politically correct to question the values of democracy.
OldSailor, true, CBI and the police too need to be freed of their shackles.
justrecently, I agree. the evils of other systems are well hidden…but unluckily for them the consequences still happen. One day everything could well collapse around them.
pr3rna, it was disappointing to hear those words from her. But if you ask me, I think she was primed. The BJP needs bakras and if the statement doesn’t go down well, just deny it!
Rahul, Nandkishore Gitte, Arvind, thanks for your responses.
guqin, democracy like the emperor’s new clothes? 🙂 that was a witty comparison. 🙂 because it is true that democracy is so open and naked that the warts of the country are visible to everybody! That is the beauty of democracy. Once you see a wound you can try and fix it. If you hide the wound and pretend it doesn’t exist, it festers and one day there could be admission into the ICU. And it’s not a question of politically correct or not, because in India those things don’t matter. Here people are very frank (even rude) and this political correctness thing is a western concept. People here openly support other idealogies. They are not pariahs.
rambodoc, now that you have told us, the loss is not invisible. 🙂
Nita, I meant “the supposed virtue of democracy in today’s world”, the subject in the sentence is “virtue”, not “democracy”. And I wasn’t specificly refering to India’s version of democracy. I was thinking of how the west has been doing all sorts of bloody evils under the name of (spreading) democracy, that way the supposed goodness of democracy becomes the emperor’s new clothes.
Coming from a Senior BJP functionary, the happiest people in India are the Muslims. For once, they have been spared. Sushma Swaraj needs her thinking set straight and the others, their credibility.
Hmm..only God knows when all the pending cases would be taken up. A your last lines state, there are both good and bad politicians. But letz cheer for India! 🙂
More on why we need democracy in India,
http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=8303
This is what I was discussing with a friend when we saw the news. The party made such a drama of the whole scandal of taking bribes as if they have never taken it themselves. Seriously, who are they fooling?
They are just providing a reason to us to laugh at them some more. And that we did in plenty.
And maybe Mr. Thakrey should do something more constructive rather than provoking people to kill each other.
Great blog…loved reading through it all. Informative and to the point.
Well i also have a splog which i will not show it to you.
//And it’s not a question of politically correct or not…Here people are very frank (even rude) and this political correctness thing is a western concept. //
I missed this important line last time. Thanks Nita. I am glad and feel released.
Indian Democracy, Such a great word to say….. but gone are the days when people used to have faith in this and its all happened because of are politicians……
I am just 20 years old and i always think about the condition of the people below the poverty line because they are the one who can not use or feel the comfort and benefits of democracy…… why????
I also have answer for this: it is because of the rich people………. in India the man who has power or money only he can have the benefits of democracy….. and they are the one who have changed the definition of democracy in India…….. and the result of this is corruption ……..
people often say that you youngsters always oppose Indian politics …….. why dont you yourself go into the politics and change the system…….
well everyone has his/her aim as my aim is to become a successful businessman …..likewise there are many people who have their aim to become a politician and they do every possible thing to reach there…… even they take promise on fire so why are not performing their task as needed
….
so plz suggest me what a common guy can do…. what powers do we have … to change the whole system……. but plz dont give me any filmy answer …………