In the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, the first President of the United States of America, ‘Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people’. This definition contains within it all the provisions of the democratic form of government.
It is a form of government which is formed by the people of the country through their representatives whom they elect and send up to form the government and such a government when formed is expected to work for the general welfare of the people of the country.
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India after attaining her freedom on August 15, 1947 formed a constituent assembly to draw up the constitution for the governance of the country. After prolonged and careful deliberations by some of the most eminent personalities of the country the Constitution was drafted this came into force on January 26, 1950.
t was on January 26 in the year 1930 that the Indian National Congress at its Lahore session had declared, complete independence as its goal, and hence to honour that date January 26 of the year 1950 was kept as the date for the adoption of the constitution of independent India.
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The preamble to the constitution states as under we the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens: justice, Social, Economic and Political liberty of thought, Session, Belief, Faith and Worship: Equality of status and of opportunity: and to promote among them all fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation: in our Constituent Assembly do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution’.
Reading carefully into the provisions of this preamble it becomes evidently clear that the Constitution of the country has been framed to set up a democratic system of government and embodies within it ‘the government of the people, for the people and by the people’.
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There is a clear indication in the preamble that no distinction shall be made on the basis of caste or creed or religions and there would be complete freedom to the people to follow any faith, any religion or any form of worship. Nothing could be more democratic than this as is contained in this preamble.
Our country is being governed on these democratic lines ever since our country won her independence. But questions are raised time and again, if the governments, as and in the manner formed do really reflect, and respect the democratic norms.
Is our country fit for a democratic form of government? Do the people who elect their representatives really do it out of their free will? Are the elected representatives working really for the welfare and service of the electorate? Are they really working for the people?
Assessing the entire political scenario of our country in this light, what we find lacking most in the set up is that lack of education, rather lack of literacy is our electorate’s greatest handicap.
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For the successful working of democracy what is needed is an enlighten electorate who understand their responsibility an exercise their right of franchise with a free will. Are they really franchise?
True, it is that the majority of the electorate is wholly literate. They get influenced by such crude considerations as caste, or communalism; money and muscle power sways their choices — sometimes they act like the dumb driven cattle. The country has gone on with these phases now for a number of times and now we have come to realise that Inspite of all the above- noted handicaps with which the general electorate all over the country suffers, the recently held elections to the Lok Sabha or even a few other such elections held earlier, it has been found that the electorate has demonstrated great acumen and intelligent choosing. If at one time the ‘Ram Mandir’ issue of Ayodhya swayed the masses; if the Indira Gandhi’s assassination or the Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination created a wave, it clearly demonstrates that the uneducated electorate is and can be sensitive and understanding.
The Lok Sabha Elections, 1999 clearly showed that the electorate wanted a stable government and rejected all other issues, fed up as it was with frequent elections. Local factors, local issues, the caste or the communal factors did have their sway but on the whole what the net and final verdict had brought about was what was most wanted.
This has demonstrated that the democratic system has worked and worked out successfully Inspite of all handicaps. It has been the people’s verdict — by the People and the representatives who have been elected as of the people’.
Now the point that stares in our face is if government which gets formed is ‘for the people’ or not In this regard much remains to be desired.
But have the people in general, Inspite of successive governments of the Centre and in the States coming into power, been largely benefited? Have their basic needs been met? Are they leading a better life? Have their problems been solved? It is here that we have to shake our heads in disapproval rather bend our heads in shame.
Lack of the basic needs — clean drinking water, basic health facilities, literacy, employment, pollution at all levels; great disparity in economic levels; Castesism, Communalism, and to top these all Corruption at all levels gives a big slap on our face. Democracy ‘for the people’ has failed us.
But in such a vast country as ours is, unless people are made to devolve in government making exercise, there can be no other way to usher a general awareness among masses.
The democratic way is the only way to do so; let us take some more time that does not matter, but no other form of government can work or can be acceptable to our country.
We cannot straight away say that Democracy has failed in our country, what we can say is that there have been left several loopholes which need to be plugged; the guilty need to be expeditiously punished, the lengthy process of law be shortened and be minimized; people should gain the impression that governments are out to root out the evil.
Let faith grow m governance and democracy shall sustain and survive and shall really work — its working only has to be made effective and demonstrative. Do whatever we may but can get away with money and power — that ser “should be rendered ineffective and then only the spirit of democracy would find its real form and shape.