Political Science de

8/11/2019 Political Science de

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DemocracyAn overview of the form of democracy in India

SUBMITTED TO: Prof.Dr.Kannan

K.V.Vijai PranavII Year, B

BABL (Hons)

School Of Excellence in Law.


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Contents

Page.No

1. Introduction 3

2. Origin Of Democracy 4

3. Forms of Democracy 7

4. Characteristics of Democracy 11

5. Aristotles Theory 12

6.Advantages of Democracy 13

7.Critisism on Democracy 14

8. Democracy in India 17

9.Democracy that was in practice in Ancient India 18

10. Present day Government in India 19

11.Challenges to Democracy 22

12.Democracy In India (vs)

Democracy In The United States 23

13.Observations 24

14. Conclusion 25

15.References 27


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Introduction.

Democracyis a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the

people, either by direct referendum (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives

of the people (representative democracy).

According to the Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia:

Democracy is defined as Form of government in which supreme power is vested in the

people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually

involving periodic free elections.

Democracy is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and

exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving

periodic free elections. It is a government of the people, for the people and by the people.

The term comes from the Greekdmokrata "rule of the people",which was coined from

dmos"people" and Kratos"power", in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the

political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular

uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of

'democracy', equality and freedom have been identified as important characteristics of

democracy since ancient times. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal

before the law and having equal access to power. For example, in a representative

democracy, every vote has equal weight, no restrictions can apply to anyone wanting to

become a representative, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and

liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.

The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without

governmental or constitutional protections of individual liberties, it is possible for a minority

of individuals to be oppressed by the "tyranny of the majority". An essential process in

representative democracies is competitive elections that are fair both substantively and

procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech, and freedom

of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal

interests.


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ORGIN OF DEMOCRACY

Ancient origins

The term democracyfirst appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought. The

philosopher Plato contrasted democracy, the system of "rule by the governed", with the

alternative systems of monarchy (rule by one individual), oligarchy (rule by a small lite

class) and timocracy (ruling class of property owners). Although Athenian democracy is

today considered by many to have been a form of direct democracy, originally it had two

distinguishing features: first the allotment (selection by lot) of ordinary citizens to

government offices and courts, and secondarily the assembly of all the citizens.

A serious claim for early democratic institutions comes from the independent "republics" of

India,sanghasandganas, which existed as early as the 6th century BC and persisted in some

areas until the 4th century AD. The evidence is scattered and no pure historical source exists

for that period. In addition, Diodorus (a Greek historian at the time of Alexander the Great's

excursion of India), without offering any detail, mentions that independent and democratic

states existed in IndiaHowever, modern scholars note that the word democracy at the 3rd

century BC and later had been degraded and could mean any autonomous state no matter how

oligarchic it was. The lack of the concept of citizen equality across caste system boundaries

leads many scholars to believe that the true nature of ganas and sanghas would not be

comparable to that of truly democratic institutions.


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20th century

20th century transitions to liberal democracy have come in successive "waves of democracy,"

variously resulting from wars, revolutions, decolonization, religious and economic

circumstances. World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian

empires resulted in the creation of new nation-states from Europe, most of them at least

nominally democratic.

In the 1920s democracy flourished, but the Great Depression brought disenchantment, and

most of the countries of Europe, Latin America, and Asia turned to strong-man rule or

dictatorships. Fascism and dictatorships flourished in Nazi Germany, Italy, Spain and

Portugal, as well as nondemocratic regimes in the Baltics, the Balkans, Brazil, Cuba, China,

and Japan, among others.

World War II brought a definitive reversal of this trend in western Europe. The successful

democratization of the American, British, and French sectors of occupied Germany

(disputed), Austria, Italy, and the occupied Japan served as a model for the later theory of

regime change.


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Forms of democracy

Democracy has taken a number of forms, both in theory and practice. The following kinds are

not exclusive of one another: many specify details of aspects that are independent of one

another and can co-exist in a single system.

Representative

Representative democracy involves the selection of government officials by the people being

represented. If the head of state is alsodemocratically elected then it is called a democratic

republic.The most common mechanisms involve election of the candidate with a majority or

aplurality of the votes.

Representatives may be elected or become diplomatic representatives by a particular district

(orconstituency), or represent the entire electorate proportionallyproportional systems, with

some using a combination of the two. Some representative democracies also incorporate

elements of direct democracy, such as referendums. A characteristic of representative

democracy is that while the representatives are elected by the people to act in their interest,

they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgment as how best to do so.

Parliamentary

Parliamentary democracy is a representative democracy where government is appointed by

parliamentary representatives as opposed to a 'presidential rule' wherein the President is both

head of state and the head of government and is elected by the voters. Under a parliamentary

democracy, government is exercised by delegation to an executive ministry and subject toongoing review, checks and balances by the legislative parliament elected by the people.

Liberal

A Liberal democracy is a representative democracy in which the ability of the elected

representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to therule of law,and usually

moderated by a constitution that emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of
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individuals, and which places constraints on the leaders and on the extent to which the will of

the majority can be exercised against the rights of minorities (see civil liberties).

Direct

Direct democracy is a political system where the citizens participate in the decision-making

personally, contrary to relying on intermediaries or representatives. A direct democracy gives

the voting population the power to:

1. Change constitutional laws,

2. Put forth initiatives, referenda and suggestions for laws,

3. Give binding orders to elective officials, such as revoking them before the end of their

elected term, or initiating a lawsuit for breaking a campaign promise.

Of the three measures mentioned, most operate in developed democracies today. This is part

of a gradual shift towards direct democracies. Examples of this include the extensive use of

referenda inCalifornia with more than 20 million voters, and (i.e., voting). InSwitzerland,

where five million voters decide on national referenda and initiatives two to four times a

year; direct democratic instruments are also well established at the cantonal and communal

level.Vermont towns have been known for their yearly town meetings, held every March to

decide on local issues. No direct democracy is in existence outside the framework of a

different overarching form of government. Most direct democracies to date have been weak

forms, relatively small communities, usually city-states. The world is yet to see a large,

fundamental, working example of direct democracy as of yet, with most examples being

small and weak forms.

Participatory

A Parpolity or Participatory Polity is a theoretical form of democracy that is ruled by a

Nested Council structure. The guiding philosophy is that people should have decision making

power in proportion to how much they are affected by the decision. Local councils of 2550

people are completely autonomous on issues that affect only them, and these councils send

delegates to higher level councils who are again autonomous regarding issues that affect only

the population affected by that council.
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A council court of randomly chosen citizens serves as a check on the tyranny of the majority,

and rules on which body gets to vote on which issue. Delegates can vote differently than their

sending council might wish, but are mandated to communicate the wishes of their sending

council. Delegates are recallable at any time. Referenda are possible at any time via votes of

the majority of lower level councils, however, not everything is a referendum as this is most

likely a waste of time. A parpolity is meant to work in tandem with aparticipatory economy

Socialist

"Democracy cannot consist solely of elections that are nearly always fictitious and managed

by rich landowners and professional politicians."

Che Guevara,Marxist revolutionary

Socialist thought has several different views on democracy. Social democracy, democratic

socialism, and the dictatorship of the proletariat (usually exercised through Soviet

democracy)are some examples. Many democratic socialists and social democrats believe in a

form ofparticipatory democracy andworkplace democracy combined with a representative

democracy.

Within Marxist orthodoxy there is a hostility to what is commonly called "liberal

democracy", which they simply refer to as parliamentary democracy because of its often

centralized nature. Because of their desire to eliminate the political elitism they see in

capitalism, Marxists, Leninists and Trotskyites believe in direct democracy implemented

though a system ofcommunes (which are sometimes calledsoviets). This system ultimately

manifests itself as council democracy and begins with workplace democracy. (See

Democracy in Marxism)

Iroquois

Iroquois society had a form of participatory democracy and representative

democracy.Iroquois government and law was discussed by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas

Jefferson. Though some others disagree,[68] some scholars regard it to have influenced the

formation of American representative democracy.[67]
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Sortition

Sometimes called "democracy without elections", sortition is the process of choosing

decision makers via a random process. The intention is that those chosen will be

representative of the opinions and interests of the people at large, and be more fair and

impartial than an elected official. The technique was in widespread use in Athenian

Democracy and is still used in modernjury selection.

Consensus

Consensus democracy requires varying degrees of consensus rather than just a mere

democratic majority. It typically attempts to protect minority rights from domination by

majority rule.

Supranational

Qualified majority voting (QMV) is designed by the Treaty of Rome to be the principal

method of reaching decisions in the European Council of Ministers. This system allocates

votes to member states in part according to their population, but heavily weighted in favour

of the smaller states. This might be seen as a form of representative democracy, but

representatives to the Council might be appointed rather than directly elected.

Some might consider the "individuals" being democratically represented to be states rather

than people, as with many other international organizations.European Parliament members

are democratically directly elected on the basis of universal suffrage, may be seen as an

example of asupranational democratic institution.

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan democracy, also known as Global democracy or World Federalism is a

political system in which democracy is implemented on a global scale, either directly or

through representatives. The supporters of cosmopolitan democracy argue that it is

fundamentally different from any form of national or regional democracy, because in a

Cosmopolitan Democracy, decisions are made by people influenced by them, while in

Regional and National Federal Democracies, decisions often influence people outside the

constituency, which by-definition cannot vote.
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Character istics of Democracy

Democracy is more than just a set of specific government institutions; it rests upon a well-

understood group of values, attitudes, and practices all of which may take different forms

and expressions among cultures and societies around the world. Democracies rest upon

fundamental principles, not uniform practices.

Core Democratic Characteristics

Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult

citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives.

Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies

guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and

local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive

to the people as possible.

Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human

rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the

opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of

society.

Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.

Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in thepolitical system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.

Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and

compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and

an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit."


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Aristotles Theory of Democracy

Aristotle contrasted rule by the many (democracy/polity), with rule by the few

(oligarchy/aristocracy), and with rule by a single person (tyranny or today

autocracy/monarchy). He also thought that there was a good and a bad variant of each system

(he considered democracy to be the degenerate counterpart to polity).

For Aristotle the underlying principle of democracy is freedom, since only in a democracy

the citizens can have a share in freedom. In essence, he argues that this is what every

democracy should make its aim. There are two main aspects of freedom: being ruled and

ruling in turn, since everyone is equal according to number, not merit, and to be able to live

as one pleases.

Now a fundamental principle of the democratic form of constitution is libertythat is what is

usually asserted, implying that only under this constitution do men participate in liberty, for

they assert this as the aim of every democracy. But one factor of liberty is to govern and be

governed in turn; for the popular principle of justice is to have equality according to number,

not worth, and if this is the principle of justice prevailing, the multitude must of necessity be

sovereign and the decision of the majority must be final and must constitute justice, for they

say that each of the citizens ought to have an equal share; so that it results that in democracies

the poor are more powerful than the rich, because there are more of them and whatever is

decided by the majority is sovereign. This then is one mark of liberty which all democrats set

down as a principle of the constitution. And one is for a man to live as he likes; for they say

that this is the function of liberty, inasmuch as to live not as one likes is the life of a man that

is a slave. This is the second principle of democracy, and from it has come the claim not to be

governed, preferably not by anybody, or failing that, to govern and be governed in turns; and

this is the way in which the second principle contributes to equalitarian liberty.
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Advantages of Democracy

The most important attribute of democracy is that everyone is treated equally before the law,

irrespective of caste, creed or sex. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, worship,

occupation and to move through out the country. The dignity of man is recognized and

respected, people are given ample opportunities to become strong and self reliant. For this

and many other reasons democracy is more advantageous than other forms of government

and best reflects the will of the people in the governance of the country.

Peaceful Modifications in the Government

Democracy can offer modifications in government without hostility. In a democracy,

authority can be reassigned from one party to another by the mode of elections. The power of

the general public of a country decides its ruling power.

Averting Monopoly

Furthermore, any government is confined to an election tenure after which it has to contend

against other parties to recover power. This method averts monopoly of the reigning party.The reigning authorities have to ensure it functions effectively for its people as cannot

continue being the authority subsequent to carrying out its term unless re-elected by the

people.

Feeling of Gratitude

This inculcates a feeling of responsibility towards the citizens. The reigning party owes their

accomplishment in the elections to the people of the country. This leads to a feeling of

thankfulness towards the citizens. It can act as their inspiration to function for the people for

it is the general masses that have absolute authority over selecting their government.

Social Responsibility of the Citizens

An additional vital advantage of democracy is that the citizens achieve a sense of contribution

in the procedure of selecting their government. They get the chance to speak out their views


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by method of electoral voting. This gives ascend to a feeling of belongingness in the brains of

the masses towards their society and its well being.

Criticism of democracy

Economists have strongly criticized the efficiency of democracy. They base this on theirpremise of the irrational voter. Their argument is that voters are highly uninformed about

many political issues, especially relating to economics, and have a strong bias about the few

issues on which they are fairly knowledgeable.

1. Mob rule

Plato'sThe Republicpresents a critical view of democracy through the narration of Socrates:

"Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and

dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequaled alike."1In his work, Plato lists 5 forms

of government from best to worst. Assuming that the Republicwas intended to be a serious

critique of the political thought in Athens, Plato argues that onlyKallipolis,an aristocracy led

by the unwilling philosopher-kings (the wisest men) is a just form of government.

2.Moral decay

Traditional Asian cultures, in particular that ofConfucian and Islamic thought, believe that

democracy results in the people's distrust and disrespect of governments or religious sanctity.

The distrust and disrespect pervades to all parts of society whenever and wherever there is

seniority and juniority, for example between aparent and achild,ateacher and astudent.

1Plato, the Republic of Plato(London: J.M Dent & Sons LTD.; New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc.), 558-C.
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3. Political instability

More recently, democracy is criticised for not offering enough political stability. As

governments are frequently elected on and off there tends to be frequent changes in the

policies of democratic countries both domestically and internationally. Even if a political

party maintains power, vociferous, headline grabbing protests and harsh criticism from the

mass media are often enough to force sudden, unexpected political change. Frequent policy

changes with regard to business and immigration are likely to deter investment and so hinder

economic growth. For this reason, many people have put forward the idea that democracy is

undesirable for a developing country in which economic growth and the reduction of poverty

are top priority.

4.Short-termism

Democracy is also criticised for frequent elections due to the instability of coalition

governments. Coalitions are frequently formed after the elections in many countries (for

exampleIndia)and the basis of alliance is predominantly to enable a viable majority, not an

ideological concurrence.

This opportunist alliance not only has the handicap of having to cater to too many

ideologically opposing factions, but it is usually short lived since any perceived or actual

imbalance in the treatment of coalition partners, or changes to leadership in the coalitionpartners themselves, can very easily result in the coalition partner withdrawing its support

from the government.

5. Slow governmental response
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Democratic institutions work on consensus to decide an issue, which usually takes longer

than a unilateral decision.

6. Vote buying

This is a simple form of appealing to the short term interests of the voters. This tactic has

been known to be heavily used in north and north-east region of Thailand. The same tactic is

widespread in the southern part ofItaly,where also the localmafias take active part into the

process.

Another form is commonly calledpork barrel where local areas or political sectors are given

special benefits but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers.

7. Volatility/unsustainability

The new establishment of democratic institutions in countries,Where the associated practices

have as yet been uncommon or deemed culturally unacceptable, can result in institutions that

are not sustainable in the long term. One circumstance supporting this outcome may be when

it is part of the common perception among the populace that the institutions were established

as a direct result of foreign pressure
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Democracy in I ndia

Government

India isfederation with aparliamentary form of government, governed under theConstitution

of India.It is aconstitutional republic andrepresentative democracy,"in whichmajority rule

is tempered by minority rights protected by law." Federalism in India defines the power

distribution between the centre and thestates.The government is regulated by achecks and

balances defined by Indian Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal

document.

Thepreamble of the constitution defines India as asovereign, socialist,secular,democratic

republic.India is the most populous democracy in the world. It has operated under amulti-

party system for most of its history.

Democracy is a system of living on the basis of certain social values. The peculiar

values of democracy are:

Freedom

Equality

Fraternity

Fundamental rights

Social justice

Independence of judiciary

And circumstances that put these values into practice

All get opportunities

Share responsibilities

Opinions are expressed freely

Respect the opinion of others

Accept the opinion of the majority

Ensure peoples participation Every one waits for his/her turn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism#Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preamble_to_the_Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereigntyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-party_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-party_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-party_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-party_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereigntyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preamble_to_the_Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism#Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation


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Democracy that was in practice in Ancient India:

Direct Democracy

The direct participation of all people at all areas functioning of the government is necessary

for democracy to be effective as a system of government. If the people directly involve

themselves in the governance such a system is called Direct Democracy.

This system prevailed in ancient India, Greece and Rome.

The adult citizens used to assemble together and decide public matters. Referendum,

by which the people directly express their opinion on governmental policy or

decision.

Recall, by which the people call back a representative before the completion of his

term when he/ she goes against the interests of the public.

Initiative, through which people can take preliminary steps to suggest a legislation

which they think necessary.

Plebiscite, through which people express their opinion on specific political issues

Institution of Gramasabha which came into existence consequent on the 73rd amendment

of the constitution of India in 1993 is an example of a device of direct democracy. But direct

democracy in the whole country in its true sense is impracticable in the present day condition.

Why?

1. Population explosion

2. Vastness of territory

3.

Different linguistic groups4. Cultural diversity


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Present day Government in I ndiaThe Representative Government

India follows Representative Democracy.

What are the features of it?

Rule by the representatives of the people

Existence of a definite representative mechanism Periodic elections

Political parties compete for political authority

Existence of interest and pressure groups

Practice of Universal Adult Franchise

Election is an inevitable process of Representative Democracy. Right of the people to elect

their representative is the fundamental feature of this system.

Voting Right

The Voting rights introduced in all democratic countries are not of the same nature. In Britain

women were granted right of franchise only in 1918. Today the principle of adult franchise is

adopted in all modern democratic countries. Our constitution ensures Universal Adult

Franchise to all citizens. Election to the Lok Sabha, the state legislatures and to the three tier

grama panchayath were held on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise. In India every adult

citizen inrespective of caste, religion or sex enjoys equal right to vote. The age of voting right

was changed from 21 years to 18 years as per the 61st amendment of the constitution in 1988.

But do all at the age of 18 enjoy their right to vote?.

Those who have been found guilty of election offences and punished and those who

are mentally unsound are denied voting rights. The political parties educate the voters on

the basis of clear ideas and programmes There are other factors also that influence the voters.


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20

Political Parties

Party system is inevitable for the existence of democratic system. Political parties are the

social factors that enlighten, represent and protect the people in a representative

democracy.

The distinguishing features of the political parties

Organisational structure and stability

Definite objectives

Activities on the basis of ideas and principles

General stand points on public issues

Ultimate objective of attaining governmental Power .

It is the existing political culture that determines the party system of a country.

According to the number of

political parties that exist in a nation the party system can be divided into single party system,

bi party system or multi party system.

Based on the areas of activity, objectives and interests the political parties can be divided

into National party, State party and Local party.

There are several factors that influence the party system, and working of the political system

of a nation.

They are:

Co-existence of political parties

Caste, class and racial elements

Ideologies and principles of the parties

The number of political parties

Party alliance or coalitions

The Election Commission

Election commission is the agency to conduct

independent and dispassionate election in India. The Election Commission came in to being

as per the stipulation in the Indian Constitution. It is the Election commission that conducts

election to the parliament of India, and to the state legislatures and also to the posts of the

President and Vice President of the Indian union.


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Structure of the Election Commission

The Election Commission shall consist of a Chief Election Commissioner and as many

election commissioners as decided by the President of India from time time.

The chief election commissioner shall act as the chairman of the commission. The President

appoints the members of the election commission as per the rules enacted by the parliament.

The President can appoint local election commissioners also to assist the Election

Commission in the discharge of its duty. There shall be a state election commission in every

state.

Ruling and opposition parties

That party or alliance of parties who get majority seats in election shall come into power.

That party or alliance of parties who fail to attain majority of seats in the election are destined

to perform the role of opposition. They have a number of rights and responsibilities as that of

the ruling party.

Duties and responsibilities of the opposition are;

To oppose the despotic tendencies of the ruling party.

To criticise the drawbacks in administration and expose them before the public.

To oppose the misdeeds of the rulers and generate public opinion against them.

To evolve substitute policies and strategies in the real of governance.

To impart political enlightenment to the public.

Decentralisation of power

Generally power is exercised in two ways centralised and decentralised.

Democratic societies give preference to decentralised way of exercising power.

It is giving strength and priority to the local administrative system, that

democratic societies try to materialise this. The Panchayati Raj system in India is

implemented with this objective in view.


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Challenges to Democracy

Indias democratic system has been workingsuccessfully for the last half a century. But this

democratisation has also been facing several challenges.

Divisive tendencies

Extremism / Terrorism

Unemployment

Political instability

Parochialism

Growing illiteracy

Corruption and nepotism

There should be certain essential conditions for the successful working of the democratic

system. They are:

Equality of opportunity

Literacy

Tolerance and fraternity

People with a civic sense

Social justice

Free and fair election system

Purposeful and principled leadership

Strong and responsible opposition Independent and impartial judicial system


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23

DEMOCRACY IN INDI A (vs) DEMOCRACY IN THE UNI TED STATES

1.

The US has a 2-party system, and most people identify with one or the other. There are

independents of course but at the time of voting, these have to choose one or the other.. There

is some fracturing of votes to green party or libertarian party candidates but those are mostly

marginal. In India, we have a large degree of fracturing and therefore the dynamics are

different.

2. The US is a lot more homogeneous than India. Though there are regional differences in the

US, people are really not linguistically divided or divided along caste lines. There are

regional special interests but they are restricted to state legislator elections of assemblymen

and state senators. During federal level electionspresidential and senatorsthe people

choose candidates based on national interest policies.

In India, all interests are regional interests. The people vote for MPs and not for governors or

chief ministers or for prime ministers. People vote for either the parties (and hence the

importance of getting a ticket from a locally successful party) or for some local MP.

3. The US has a greater degree of participation in the democratic process. Based on the fact that

a larger percentage of Indians vote in the general elections than the percentage of Americansvote in their elections, one can be misled into believing that Indians are somehow more into

the democratic process. The truth may be different.

Indians vote and then forget about it. But Americans get more into the processboth the width and

depth of the process. The US voters participate more actively in all levels of the institutional structure

of governance: the ward, the city, the county, the state, and the union.

4. in the US, the executive and the legislative branches of the government is clearly demarcated

and distinct. In India, there is no distinction. This has the effect in the US of weakening the

power of the executive and keeping it in check. As a consequence, the power balance between

the government and the people is more in favor of the people (than is the case in India.)

The bottom line is that Indian democracy is about the citizens choosing who they will obey, while

American democracy is about the people choosing who they will employ to carry out the wishes of

the people. In the former case, it is servants choosing their masters, and in the latter case, masters

choosing their servants.


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24

Observations made from the course of the project:

1. Democracy is not only a form of government but also a way of life

2.

The representative democratic system is in existence in almost all countries including

India.

3. Election is a decisive process in a democratic system

4.

There are certain conditions for granting right to vote

5. Party system play an important role in the subsistence of democracy

6.

Election Commission bear the responsibility of conducting the elections in India

7. In a democratic set up the opposition has duties and responsibilities just as a ruling

party

8. Indian democracy is facing a number of challenges.

9. In order to raise heads people follow wrong paths like terrorism to control the masses.

10.There is aggression all over even for the minutest of issues.

11.Nomination is based on caste, creed, community and selfish gains.

12.

There is a lack of prudent, selfless and politically educated leaders.13.Manifestoes are many but implementation of those manifestos are rare.

14.

Monopolisation of politics is paving way.


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Conclusion:

In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because thereare more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.- Aristotle

Indian is the largest democracy in the world. Parties act as the bridge between social thought

and political decision in democracy. The Indian politics system is a multiparty system.

However, gradually politics has become a game corruption and selfishness. Most political

parties are only interested in coming to power. The Indian ideology today is replaced by caste

and religion.

We enjoy every right in theory, but not in practice. Real democracy will come into being only

when the masses are awakened and take part in the economic and political life of the country.

There is inequality in every sphere- social, economic and political. Illiteracy is the main cause

of inequality. The illiterate masses get easily lured by money during such an event. The

people who make the laws themselves break them.

Even after more than sixty years of Independence, one forth of the population today goes to

bed with an empty stomach, live below the poverty line without access to safe and clean

drinking water, sanitation or proper health facilities. Governments have come and gone,

crores of rupees have been spent, yet many people are still struggling for existence.

Casteism today is more pronounced that it even was. Violence has been taken a serious turn

in country, Bandhs, strikes and terrorist activities have become a common affair. Here, the

rich exploit the poor who have no voice or share in the democratic structure. For a successful

democracy, all these need to be checked.

However besides these India, as a democratic country, has progressed in many aspects. It has

archived self-sufficiency in food grains as a result of the green revolution. People vote for

change whenever a government fails to come up to the expectations of the people. India has

been a successful democratic country only because the people are law-abiding, self-

disciplined and have the sense of social and moral responsibilities.
http://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008312212/what-are-political-parties-and-pressure-groups.htmlhttp://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008312212/what-are-political-parties-and-pressure-groups.htmlhttp://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008191103/what-is-water.htmlhttp://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008191103/what-is-water.htmlhttp://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008312212/what-are-political-parties-and-pressure-groups.htmlhttp://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/articlelibrary/201008312212/what-are-political-parties-and-pressure-groups.html


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For a democracy to be fully successful, the electorate should be literate and politically

conscious. They should be fully aware of their rights and privileges. The illiterate masses of

India should be given education so that they can sensibly vote for the right leaders.

There should be quality in every sphere of life. The politicians should also respect the true

sprit of democracy. They should refrain from corruption caste and communal politics. The

citizens should elect leaders with good moral values and integrity. They should not be

influenced by anyone in this respect.

In conclusion it can be said that, we the people of India follow the rule of the mobit is in the

hands of this mob, lies the growth of the nation. Therefore we as the mobs of this soil and the

rulers of tomorrow should strive to hard to ensure the efficient working of the system of

democracy and governance by cleansing the political system, by bringing in rulers with

dignity, integrity, ability and unselfish devotion , rulers who are individually nominated and

not those that are chosen by family succession. The effort lies in our hands ,we being the

coming generation and the effective leaders of tomorrow. In toto I conclude by saying that

we must be the change we wish to see. Let us all join together and sharpen the system of

democracy in our country, polishing it of all the rust and making it shine bright and bring the

nation into the phase of positive reincarnation.


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References

Books Referred:

1. Political science ............. A.C.Kapur

2.India after GandhiThe History of the World's Largest Democracy.Guha, Ramchandra (2007). 1st edition.

3.A History of India. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. RomilaThapar, (1990).

Articles:

1. Atanu Dey on Indias Development.

2. Democracy is people who rule the government directly.BBC History of

democracy

3.

Country profile: India".BBC. 9 January 2007.4. Dutt, Sagarika (1998). "Identities and the Indian state: An overview".

Third World Quarterly

5. "Our ParliamentA brief description of the Indian Parliament".

6. Democracy over other Govt.Eawar Jalal Barzanji Canada

Aug.22.2005

7.Aatish Palekars democracy in India

Websites Referred:

1.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stm

.

2.

www.parliamentofindia.gov.in

3.

www.thinkexist.com

4.

http://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/knowledge-hub/essay/an-essay-on-

democracy-in-india.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml

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