Crippled Democracy

The hallmark of the governance is its credibility which in turn depends upon its integrity, accountability, transparency and delivery of justice. Has any government been able to bring social justice, social equality? Democracy can be defined as the form of government which is by the people, of the people and for the people. On the other hand anarchy is a state of disorder, chaos where no administration, no laws follow.

Democracy gives us a chance to improve many things which we lack in anarchy and monarchy like corruption, nepotism, favouritism, redtapism. Quite understandably, in Indian context, democracy is working like anarchy. We have three parallel governments judicial, executive and parliamentary. None of them has been able to maintain the decorum of Indian constitution.

Police’s duty is to maintain law and order, but rather than it they are found collecting traffic challans or protecting VIPs, rather than defending common man they found defending burglars, thieves, criminals, destroying evidences or sometimes creating fake witnesses. Politicians given utmost importance and even when the henchmen of these politicians commit crime, they are not even touched by police.

The worst thing that happens in our society is that we elect our so called leaders not because of their ideology or their works, but we elect them just because they belong to our caste and in anticipation that he will be giving some benefits to our caste.

Castism is dominating that much in soul of masses that it reflects in our elections also, our society elects even most corrupt or a even a criminal person for their own benefit. That is reflected even in politics of Haryana, Punjab, UP, Gujrat etc. the leaders elected become VIPs and even to meet them is beyond the reach of common man. They just work for the benefit of their caste and creed, that’s the mother of all problems

Everywhere the administration has been failed to deliver social protection, social justice, and social rights. As in case of Nandigram we saw the government was favouring its cadre. The statement of Buddadeb Bhattacharya was more astonishing”we paid them back in the same coin.” Are they running the government or they are running a cadre? This statement is the same as Modi gave during Godhara incident. West Bengal was considered most efficient state in terms of administration. If the chief of the ruling party gives the statement like this then what can we expect from others.

Coalition governments are also the outcome of this type of politics and for them benefit of their cadre is foremost and betterment of people of state is always secondary

The poor are the majority voters in the country, yet no government has taken care of them, they are still lagging behind the mainstream of the society. Their growing unrest, dissatisfaction, deprivation is resulting in form of crime and terrorism; in fact these are the breeding

The National Commission for Enterprises in Unorganized Sector headed by Justice Arjun Dev submitted a report on livelihood of people in India in 2007. It said that 77% of Indian population was living below twice the official poverty line or we can say Rs. 20 per day per capita. This poor and vulnerable segment of India numbers to 83.6 crore. The increasing discontent and marginalization in poor class becomes breeding ground for terrorism. The reducing human rights security and civil liberties are fuel for this menace.

Reduced social and economic equalities is one more solution of it. For states like UP, Orrisa, Bihar where there is upper class hierarchy, the spread of naxalism and discontent in lower class is indubitable. Government itself is giving a breeding ground to terrorism. Because even politics, administration and police are prominently dominated by upper class, so it results in people losing hope in legal system and administration. There is no hope of justice for these people because in judiciary there is a big ‘jam’ and also upper class hierarchy


The underbelly of capitalism has been failed to correct regional imbalances rather it has widened them. These imbalances- between advanced and backward and between town and country- keep pushing people from backward regions towards mirages of opportunities. Most of the cities sitting on the volcano of bad amenities and unsympathetic bureaucracy. This keeps multiplying the number of poor and creates armies of unemployed youth.


The majority of the cases that are being filed into the courts are related to money such as, theft, bungling, robbery, dacoity, ransom demanding etc. and majority of people who in jails are under trials. There is a big jam into the courts, police are involved in corruption, later delivery of justice, absolving of criminals due to lack of evidence has created a big dissatisfaction into the minds of people. Nobody fears of law because the kingpins of Indian polity would save them and lack of material evidence makes them confident too.

The dawn of year 2006 faced killing of 12 adivasis in Kalinganagar, Orrisa by the police who were protesting against the acquisition of their land. This Land Acquisition Act is being used as a tool by the government to exploit the masses. Is state meant for acquiring lands of the poor at throwaway prices? Is it the function of government? Is government for protection of masses or for to kill them brutally?

We are nowhere in human right development index, but we are shining in corruption index. It is not because our leaders are corrupted. They are so because a ‘corrupted’ also lies in the soul of the masses. The more we are racing ahead, the more we are getting communal. Dividing ourselves in the faulty lines of caste, creed, and religion.

The condition of education that our government provides to masses is very poor. According to estimates of NSSO in 2007 1 lakh schools in India do not have teachers, in 1.5 lakh schools there s only one teacher, 1.32 lakh schools are not built in a concrete building. The condition of government schools


Had it not been the case then there would have been no naxalist, no maoist, there would have been no corruption at all. The poor who elect the leaders would not have been inaccessible to the political VIPs. There would have been people’s participation in decision making. Democracy doesn’t mean that decision for whole the masses should be taken by a politician even when it is not in welfare of public. In the name of land acquisition they have pampered property dealers. In the name of god they have mislead the masses, and it goes countless.

We have gone through a mixture of democracy and feudalism, the difference now is just that the ratio is changing and as everywhere in India the administration has failed to protect common masses, Indian democracy has failed to be functional. And this failure has turned into anarchy, if not coped properly; it can even lead to a civil war.