Indian Political System Needs An Overhaul

Senior politicians and bureaucrats of the country enumerate that it is hard to change a system in India until it completely breaks down. In the past 67 year of successful journey India lapped up bountiful gains. But the huge nation with billion plus population critically falls short of a deliverance of goods for public. It is rather disturbing that things move at an unimaginably slower pace. The political system, a system of politics and government has a huge influence over the country, its people and on the economy. An incompetent political system leads to poor governance where institutions are not strengthened. Weak institutions fail to deliver and with the result even well conceived policies fail to yield desired results.

In India, the political system is eroded and needs immediate resurrection. The firm foundations of nationhood, the basic pillar of political system has crumbled. Independent India has now more than 1000 political parties catering to various ideologies and philosophies. The basic goal of all of these affiliations is a resurgent India. But over period of time, the basic objective was trounced and personal gain, glory and ambition has taken precedence. Countries which attained independence during late 1940’s are set to create history by catapulting themselves for nation building, the disgruntled political class of our country has pushed nation into doldrums. The well being and prosperity of the country largely depends on the enthusiasm of the political class, who staked claims to work for the welfare of the people. Serving public should be the basic motto.

Unfortunately, there is hardly any consensus on issues of development within our political class. Serious talk on development and nation building is on back seat in their agenda. Come elections and Indian public are assured of fanatical theatrics of political parties that unabashedly hurling abuses at other. Aspiring people’s representatives are divided on party lines. After elections they continue to remain in their default mode of mutual incongruence and the division further deepens on the basis of numbers into ruling party or an opposition party. Irrespective of the issue, be it a matter of serious deliberation or internal threat, parties are at war of words and refuse to arrive at any consensus. This results in fragmentation, absence of vision on shared goals. The political system must mature to deliver public goods.

Our political system is infested with hatred and mistrust leading to lack of coherence on issues of development. Graceful acceptance of public mandate and mutual respect are forlorn in political circles of late. Concrete steps for building and strengthening public institutions is missing. Constructive debates and discussion on various bills have become fewer with every new session of Parliament. The list of the uncanny adventures of the people’s representatives seems to be endless right from replicating thug culture in the temples of democracy to deliberate misuse of the floor time and calling for needless adjournment motions.

Unless the foundations of the political system is deeply grounded with the sole aspiration of nation building progress is nightmare. Indian political evolution is largely hounded by lackadaisical objectives of multiple political parties that are antithetical to inclusive development. Political parties with sectarian, divisive or authoritarian ideologies tend to weaken the spirit of nationhood.

Even in this internet generation, the wider section of political class still harbour an old feudal mind set and winning people’s mandate evokes an authoritarian instinct. Hence the age-old sketchy and vicious politics still rule the roost. Callous sycophants of political parties shower encomiums and patronise complacent ideologies even now. Democracy within party cadres is still oblivious to old political parties encumbering the flow of new energy, enthusiasm. Recently a new political trend evolved wherein a theatrical performance or rhetoric directed against a person or rival parties aided in riding the wave of populism. But soon it ebbed out now glaring at the imminent threat of vertical split of the parties. It is appalling that India with 65% of the population under the age of 35 years suffers from the lack of commendable representation of young leaders in political parties. While some political parties have shown great promise of breaking the vicious system, grave mishandling of authority lead to their tumultuous fall. Some parties for their dubious gains have blatantly fractured Indian society on the basis of religion, caste, creed, region etc, nailing down the unique attribute of India- Unity in Diversity.

Universally, every old and deprecated system is substituted or replaced by a ravishingly new and beneficial. When gadgets/ instruments are damaged we rather repair them instead of mercilessly discarding or throwing into bins then isn’t it the duty of citizens of the country to reinvigorate the political system that failed us? Instead of ignoring the distress signals and waiting for complete breakdown of the system efforts should be directed to restore sheen and dynamism to the hackneyed political system.

The legacy of independent India has been bequeathed on us by several thousands of patriotic sons of the land who laid their lives in the pursuit for freedom. It is incumbent to refurbish the political system with grounded vision, robust ideology with pragmatic policy-making.

 

 

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