The Back Seat Drivers
I am a strong believer in a liberal democracy. I think that it is the only form of government that a country as diverse as India can have. Of course India can have an authoritarian regime like in China or a military dictatorship like you have in Pakistan and Myanmar but that would be against the wishes of the Indian public (elections in Pakistan is just a window dressing primarily meant for American consumption). But it is clear to anyone who follows the Indian electoral and administrative system that we should start thinking about reforming and refining our democracy.
India chose the parliamentary system of government after our Independence from Britain. There is a lot of power sharing built into such a system. All the power does not reside with one individual (as it is with the President of America or Russia). But the important point is that the system (parliamentary or presidential or other) itself is not important but how it functions or operates is what matters. India’s parliamentary system is improving and is far better and more transparent than what it was sixty years ago. But it is not at the level of the British parliamentary system yet.
One of the biggest problems I see with the Indian system is that when I cast my vote on Election Day I may or may not know who will represent my party as the leader of the country in case they win. For example if I vote for the Congress Party then on the day of the elections I will not know whether it is Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or any other individual who will be the Prime Minister of India if my party wins the election outright or is the leader of the coalition that forms the government?
In the 2004 general elections many who voted for the Congress Party assumed that Sonia Gandhi was going to be the Prime Minster. She withdrew and nominated Manmohan Singh. I think that each party should be mandated to name their candidate for Prime Minister before the elections and they should not be allowed to make changes after the elections. The point is I may vote for the Congress Party if Manmohan Singh is the candidate but may not vote for the party if Sonia Gandhi is the candidate.
In India it is also not clear where the ruling party ends and the Indian government begins. This is a major problem when the Congress Party is in power. Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Congress Party but for all practical purposes is the real leader of the Indian republic. Prime Minster Manmohan Singh is in the United States at the moment. But Sonia Gandhi is acting like the de facto Prime Minster.
There are reports that indicate that Sonia Gandhi has talked to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and other senior members of the Indian cabinet to setup an emergency meeting of the cabinet to clear the Liberhan Commission report for tabling to the Indian parliament. The Prime Minister will be back from his visit to the United States in a few days and tabling this matter is not an urgent matter. It is he who gets to decide when and if the reports should be tabled. By acting in this manner she is clearly undermining the authority of the office of the Prime Minister of India. The opposition parties (BJP and the Communist Parties) should be mature enough to understand that the Prime Minster’s visit to a country like the United States is rare but very important. Applying pressure to table the report now is an unprofessional tactic to say the least. This report took 18 years to create. Waiting 2 more days is not going to change anything!!
The case of Rahul Gandhi (General Secretary of the Congress Party) is even more interesting. He is the Prime Minister in waiting although he has denied this on numerous occasions. He has dedicated the last few months to tour India extensively and campaign for the Congress Party in almost every election. He is India’s rock star politician (like Obama). There is no question that he can be the Prime Minster of India tomorrow if he so chooses. There in lies the problem. He has refused to join the cabinet and has so far not shown an inclination to take ownership of serious issues and strive for change (although he is in the best position to do this due to the enormous power that he wields). His past is shrouded in secrecy and controversy including his educational qualifications. This could be the key reason why he is not very keen on becoming the Prime Minister.
The question of extra constitutional powers should worry every Indian. I have no problem with any of these individuals getting elected as the Prime Minster of India as long as the process is very transparent. But once we elect a Prime Minster we should give the individual the courtesy of managing and directing the country in a manner they so choose.
Related posts:
- Can an Aam Admi Become India’s Prime Minister?
- Saffron Terrorism is Real
- Sonia Gandhi Destroying Indian Religion, Culture and Traditions
- Rahul Gandhi – India’s Confucius
- Swami Ramdev Establishes Political Party in India
Category: News & Government
Read every word of your post. A very thoughtful write sir! I second your thoughts completely. Our way of government is opaque with very little room for transparency! This is one of the biggest drawback of our form of democracy! Political parties are very influential in the functioning of our government which can intrude the decision making capability of the formal Ministers! Thanks for pointing this out vividly. I wish to escalate your concerns!
Thank you very much for the feedback Neeraj. As Indians we often wonder who is running Pakistan. Is it the military, the ISI or the politicians? But we refuse the ask the same questions to ourselves.
That’s true Hari!
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