Commentary / Mani Shankar Aiyar
The Indian Democracy
Our single greatest achievement in 50 years of Independence has
been democracy. Yet, it would be stretching the truth to suggest
that most Indians are proud of their democracy. Disillusionment with democracy
is the prevailing mood. Or, at any rate, disillusionment with the
institutions of our democracy. There is little respect for Parliament,
even less for the state legislatures. Venality is equated with
public life, moral turpitude with elective office.
The commencement of the golden jubilee year of our freedom gives
no cause for any celebration of democracy. We are ruled by a political
party, the Janata Dal, that has secured less than ten percent
of the seats in the House. Along with its coalition partners,
the UF commands less than half of the required majority. And the
leader of the coalition has just disgraced himself and the institutions
of representatives government by ducking the endorsement of even
one constituency out of 542, preferring the wholly undemocratic
route of confirming the legitimacy of his high office by seeking
to manipulate a cabal in the Bangalore Vidhan Soudha.
The most ridiculous arguments have been trotted out in justification
of this legerdemain. Indira Gandhi, it is said, was a member of
the Upper House when she became prime minister. True, but she
became prime minister in 1966 when there were just a few months
to go for the next elections. Those elections were held on schedule
and she was returned to the Lok Sabha with a huge plurality.
(Or is this Deve Gowda's subtle way of saying there will be another
election in a few months?!)
It is also said that Karnataka has no Lok Sabha vacancies. There
were none in Andhra Pradesh either in 1991. One was created --- through the resignation of the sitting
Congress MP for Nandyal, and Prime Minister Narasimha Rao was
duly elected an MP from there, entering The Guinness Book Of World
Records for the largest majority in world parliamentary history
in a contested election. Curious that the chosen leader of this
congeries of satraps is unable to find even a tiny corner of his
state to proclaim, "Gowda, forever Gowda."
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