Six Decades of Successful Democracy

Vandana Tripathi

Department of English,
S.S. Jain Subodh P.G. College ,Jaipur
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract: This paper makes an effort to provide a framework for good ascendancy of
Democracy in India by identifying its essential features and shortcomings. Indias democratic
experience in past six decades provides it to be potential to overcome political and economical
threat which the whole world is suffering. Although no theory for good governance is
intelligible, this paper explores Indian democracy and thrust upon the areas for improvement.
The paper also highlights the need to formulate a national strategy to make India a fully
democratic country.
Keywords: Parliamentary democracy, good governance, functional democracy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction
My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same
opportunity as the strongest.
- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), leader of Indias non-violent struggle for freedom
Democracy in its purest or most ideal form would be a society in which all adult citizens have an
equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.India claims to be the biggest democracy in the
world. Judged, by standards, the machinery for a democratic Government is well established
here. Unlike other Asiatic countries except Japan, there is no change here of any sudden military
intervention by uprising.
There have been political thinkers and statesmen who have rejected the philosophy of democracy
by designating it as a bourgeois conception and a wretched and worthless masquerade. There is
no doubt that the present age is the age of democracy, and it has developed into a very strong
movement all over the world. Even the Communist countries, which reject the basic western
philosophy of democracy, call themselves peoples democracy, because they cannot resist the
temptation of being regarded democrats.
Indias Successful Democracy
After more than six decades of periodic democracy has taken root. Recently we have seen eclipse
of democracy in the East and West and also in our neighborhood. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma,

Ceylon, Indonesia have gone the dictatorial way. These instances created alarm and people
thought that perhaps India was also going the same way.
The success of democracy in India defies many prevailing theories that stipulate preconditions
for democracy. India is not an industrialized developed economy; Indian businessman and
middle classes do not fully control the countrys politics. India is anything but ethnically
homogeneous. The biggest threat to India democracy is its diversity. But Indias recent
development proved that democracy is a way of life for Indians, who hold it as a valuable
possession and would not let it slip.
Democracy : Meaning

Etymologically, the term democracy comes from the Greek word dmokrata which means "rule
of the people". It was coined from two word dmos meaning "people" and kratos meaning
"power", Democracy has been defined in the words of Abraham Lincoln as 'Government of the
people, for the people, and by the people'.
According to Vanhannen ,1997 Democracy is a political system in which different groups are
legally entitled to compete for power and in which institutional power holders are elected by the
people and are responsible to the people."
Viewed from this angle democracy is a form of government wherein people themselves elect
their representatives to run the affairs of the state on their behalf and also to provide
opportunities to the people for their maximum good.
The Origin of Indian Democracy
One of the greatest challenges before our Founding Fathers while preparing the framework of
self-government of Independent India was to come up with a viable system of governance and an
administrate structure that would involve the active participation of all sections of the people and
one that would reflect and represent the diversity of India and be capable of meeting the
challenges faced by a resurgent nation. The country adopted a parliamentary democratic system
after a purposive and elaborate debate among our visionary and sagacious national leaders who
were in the forefront of our long-drawn struggle for freedom. The members of the Constituent
Assembly adopted the Constitution with the conviction that it best suited our ethos and culture
and the specificities of our nation, while the world around us expressed skepticism about our
ability to operate a democratic system successfully.
The most significant achievement of the first six decades of freedom, in many ways, is that we
have sustained the vibrancy of our parliamentary democracy, which has survived in spite of the
prevalence of what seemed to be inhibiting factors that were not conducive to its healthy
functioning like the division of the country on communal lines that was perceived to have had

a debilitating effect on the functioning of our democratic system. Besides, our poor economic
conditions, low literacy, the hierarchical social structure, and multiple ethnic, religious and
linguistic cleavages, were all potent factors that could inhibit and weaken the democratic fabric.
Now having come through 14 general elections and experienced a good degree of political
stability for almost six decades, we can say with confidence that Indian democracy has come of
age and that democracy is here to stay. This democratic consolidation preserving and
protecting the unity of such a heterogeneous country with one billion-plus people practicing
different religions, and speaking innumerable languages, and which is home to a wide variety of
customs and practices has indeed been a gigantic challenge that post-Independence India met
successfully, to the envy of many.
The driving force behind Indian democracy is our people the vast electorate that has shown to
the world its unquestionable capability and commitment to work the democratic system that the
Constitution has provided for governance. They have brought about changes in government, with
an enormous sense of responsibility and uncanny wisdom, on six out of 14 occasions that we
went through general elections in most cases proving even political pundits wrong. We have
seen in the past that whenever the people perceived divisive or anti-people activities that
contributed to political instability, they have punished those responsible. Whenever they
perceived the popular mandate being misused to undermine democracy from within, they
exercised their judgment at the earliest opportunity to safeguard democracy. The faceless voter of
India is someone no political party can take for granted and is Indian democracys best guarantee
today. Indias experiments with democratic governance have received universal recognition and
our hugely multi-cultural society is seen as an example for those struggling to cope with the
complexities of race, religion, language and culture.
But such is the phase of competitive and confrontational politics today that Parliament finds
itself disabled in the discharge of its essential functions. There is a growing perception among
some sections of our people, particularly the youth that democratic institutions are not
functioning as they should. Many well-meaning critics have started pointing out that
confrontational politics have accentuated religious, linguistic and casteist divisions in society and
that unfortunately political power has got polarised around identities of caste, religion, and
language, thereby making the political system an accentuated reflection of the existing social
inequalities.
Today, questions are being asked about the utility and relevance of Parliament in our polity and,
indeed, about the workability of our democratic set-up based on the parliamentary system. If
Parliament does not function effectively and loses public trust, parliamentary democracy too will
begin to wilt. Parliament is the fountainhead of the peoples desires and aspirations. To raise
Parliaments esteem in the peoples eyes, we urgently need to address the issues of declining
quality of debates, falling attendance of members, indecorous and unruly behaviour and the
increasing tendency to stall parliamentary proceedings to register dissent. We should devote
more time to law-making and make the committee system more effective to better oversee the
governments functions and to scrutinize effectively proposed legislations. What is needed most
is total commitment to our Constitution and to the smooth functioning of Parliament and of the
Legislatures, which are all constituted by the people. To be successful, Parliament must not only

be representative, transparent, accessible, accountable and effective but should also function in a
manner that will further cement peoples faith and confidence in the great utility of the institution
itself.
The perceived aberrations in the functioning of our democratic institutions, however, should not
make us overlook our achievements under a parliamentary democratic system in the past six
decades. It should be everyones endeavor to highlight our achievements also and thereby seek to
enhance our peoples faith in the system. The media and the judiciary, two offshoots of
democracy, have a special role in this. It is through the exercise of democratic rights that the
traditionally disenfranchised sections of society are acquiring a new voice and role in Indias
governance.
As a nation we have undoubtedly made considerable progress in different spheres. The
participative democratic structure and an open society, which we are enjoying, are what our
Constitution has provided. Today India is becoming an economic power in the world and we
possess an enormous pool of talented young men and women who have the potential to effect a
major turnaround in the countrys economic fortunes. There is no reason why we should not be
able to fulfill our still incomplete task of becoming a developed nation demonstrating, at every
level, standards of healthy political culture and collectively addressing the grave issues of
hunger, illiteracy, disease and exploitation.
Transition in Indian democracy can only be made when the Parliamentary Democracy is
overtaken by fully Functional Democracy. Functional does not mean perfect. One cant
imagine any such thing as a perfect democracy, one that doesnt require constant improvement.
By functional, it just mean that our constitution and electoral system and administrative branch
more or less work. Theres plenty of room to say theyre not ideal, or not truly democratic, or
exclusionary, or calcified, or theyre beholden to money or elites, or whatever kind of criticism
you want to level at them.
Democracy is not a mechanism; democracy is a result. If people generally believe that they are
involved in their society's governance, that their concerns matter, and that society is serving their
interests as well as can be expected, then that would be strong evidence for a functioning
democracy.
Let us be real. India is still a work in progress. It needs another 20-30 years of all-inclusive and
steady socio-economic-military growth to be called a developed nation on par with other
developed ones at that time. A rally is an act of functional democracy when normal institutions
do not function. It could be a forum to raise issues such as housing, health and land.
Broadly speaking, democracy can only be successful when it operates properly. Functional
democracy means good governance. Good governance has several characteristics. It is
participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient,
equitable, and inclusive and follows the rule of law. At a minimum, good governance requires
fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially by an independent judiciary and its decisions
and enforcement are transparent or carried out in a manner that follows established rules and
regulations. Since accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law,
accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions, but

also private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their
institutional stakeholders. Moreover, given that a societys well-being depends on ensuring that
all its members feel that they have a stake in it, good governance requires that institutions serve
all stakeholders fairly.
Perhaps democracy would work better if we can evolve the panchayet-based Constitution as
Mahatma Gandhi had suggested. Such a Constitution would ensure larger devolution of power
on the people and thus make them more responsible as well as conscious of their responsibilities.
The British system may be suitable in a country having two parties: where there are too many
parties, government becomes unstable and, as a result, bureaucracy gains more power. If
democracy has to succeed in India and strike roots, people must begin to think afresh and create
a Constitution in conformity with the traditional needs and ideals of the people.
For a matured and functional democracy in India, there are three things needed. Firstly, the
citizens must be educated and literate to understand the politics so the government is really
effective. Secondly, the government must be transparent. And lastly, the citizens must have the
freedom of information and access to that information.If Indian democracy has to be really on
these lines we have to build the National Information Infrastructure. Every public call office
must provide access to the data with the government both at the Centre and in the states freely,
and also, all this data must be available in Indian languages.
For a full fledged democracy, education is the key. A nation which is half illiterate cannot face
the challenges of the 21st century. Education is the route for a variable democracy as well as the
economic development of the country. We need to focus on the spread of the primary education
for all the masses living in remote areas of the country. But in todays scenario, it is seen that
there is a close linkage between the local politicians and vested interests. Starting from the
appointment of the teachers and their transfers to the required places of interest, it is evident that
in many states, primary education and perhaps the secondary education too is highly politicized.
We find that even though attractive salaries are given to the primary school teachers, many of the
single teacher schools are not at all effective in creating interest in people towards need of
education. At the same time, there are reports that even the poor parents want their children to go
to public school and study. They are prepared to pay even higher fees for the same.
In a democratic country like India, nothing happens unless there is a political will. The
government must think definitely at this point.
The Indian democracy will get organized only under two circumstances. The first one is if there
is a crisis. The second situation is when there is a perceived and immediate advantage in terms of
electoral gains.
After all, unemployment is a national problem and to the extent we are able to provide avenues
for removing unemployment, it will be a politically popular vote gathering measure. It is seen
that under the various employment generation and poverty alleviation schemes like Prime
Ministers Rojgar Yojana and the Integrated Rural Development Programme, thousands of lakhs
of rupees are being spent. Instead of spending such huge amounts without any effective results,
the educated youth can become teachers and give tuitions to the poor masses in the villages and
they can be given the same amount available under various schemes. In this way, the funds will

be better utilized and there will also be a direct link between efforts for the removal of
unemployment and illiteracy. All this would be best to establish a good democracy in India.

Conclusion
There is no denying the fact that democracy is still the most successful form of government in
the world today. The functioning of democratic institutions in India has been satisfactory on the
whole. Scope for improvement is always there. For India to be called a real democracy, the
Indian political system has to change and allow merit to grow. That change can only come with
political and social consensus.
Some measures like conducting candidate debates, fixing the terms for elected representatives,
having a constitutionally empowered political finance regulatory authority and effective policing
of campaigns and elections by the Election Commission will go a long way in making India a
truly functional and thriving democracy.
There is, however, a need for us to educate masses, eradicate social evils and also to have a
revise our constitution. The distortions that have risen in recent years must be corrected, if we
really want out nation to succeed in democracy. Hence democracy is deep-rooted in India. It has
a long and bright future in India.

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