Ref: – Without inspiring & disciplining parties, democracy is meaningless.
Dear Sir
There is any number & type of democracies being practiced in contemporary world and one need not ape the other. But there is always some radical element in one democracy which if adopted by another democracy (may be in a modified form) then it can prove to be a panacea for quite a number of problems faced by that ailing democracy. In this context the fundamental difference between democracies of USA and India needs highlighting.
During on-going primaries of President election of USA, the party candidates for Presidentship are being elected by party members in these elections (conducted under State authorities), which make all the difference in a democracy.
On the contrary party office bearers and party candidates in Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly elections in India are appointed and chosen so arbitrarily that it is no surprise that: –
(1)- In India, the members of political party permanently complain about party office bearers arbitrarily foisted on them.
[To quote only one example, the case of Shiv Sena is quite educative in this respect. Shiv Sena has sizable membership in other Provinces of India also other than Maharashtra and its candidates contest Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly elections too over there. But the Shiv Sainiks from rest of India do not have any right or voice (as to who will be the office bearers of Shiv Sena and who will be the Shiv Sena candidates in elections) for the simple reason that there are no organizational elections in Shiv Sena. This despite Election Commission of India through its 1997 judgment said that there would be regular party elections in Shiv Sena].
(2)- During every election, the Indian people and media complain that sizable numbers of candidates of various political parties are accused of serious crimes which is a sign of criminalization of Indian politics.
(3)- Political parties still do not file annual returns of their audited financial accounts. This despite order dated April 4, 1996 in S.C. case No. 24 of 1995 where Supreme Court of India ordered Income Tax authorities to ensure these returns, which otherwise also is mandatory duty of I.T. Deptt.
(To what extent this financial anarchy of political parties has criminalized Indian politics, is known to any one who knows India).
This political farce in India can easily be finished forever if organizational elections of registered political parties are conducted under State authorities so that party members can elect office bearers of the party who will have legitimacy, also to decide the candidates during elections.Political parties are organizations, which help government run as per the dictates of law. The only difference is that parties in power make / support all the laws retained on statute, whereas opposition parties may not support those laws, with which they do not agree (even at their risk) and want to amend these as per their election manifestos.
This ‘State authority controlled party election system’ will go a long way in bringing dedicated party workers in front who on ground will take care of justice as per law all over the country.
Otherwise the present ridiculous situation will persist where apart from other glaring injustices and anarchy: –
(i)- Dalits (oppressed castes) & other weaker sections of society are still blatantly treated inhumanely in villages and other parts of India despite party members and office bearers (who are supposed to be in said assistance to law, the State) are present in those areas but doing nothing to get justice, as per law, to these victims.
(ii)- National Rural Employment Guarantee Program, the only hope and future of India (which is going to sustain about half of India’s poor population) is almost non existent at implementation level.
Therefore, if India wants to survive as the largest functioning democracy and that too in this pat of Asia then without any further delay, India should adopt the ‘State authority controlled party election system’
Yours truly
Hem Raj Jain
208, Supriya, Plot # 20, Sector – 10, Dwarka,
New Delhi -110075, INDIA.
Ph: – +91 11 32940177, Mob: 09871194983