Indian polity needs complete overhaul

Senior politicians and bureaucrats of the country avert that it is hard to change a system in India until it completely breaks down. In the past 67 year of successful journey, India lapped up bountiful gains. But the huge nation with a billion plus population critically falls short of a deliverance of goods for public. It is rather disturbing that things move at an unimaginably slower pace. An incompetent political system leads to poor governance where institutions are not strengthened. Weak institutions fail to deliver and with the result even well conceived policies fail to yield desired results.

In India, the political system is eroded and needs immediate resurrection. Independent India has now more than 1000 political parties catering to various ideologies and philosophies. The basic goal of all of these affiliations is a resurgent India. But over period of time, the basic objective was trounced and personal gain, glory and ambition have taken precedence. Countries which attained independence during late 1940s are set to create history by catapulting themselves for nation-building, the disgruntled political class of our country has pushed nation into doldrums.

Unfortunately, there is hardly any consensus on issues of development within our political class. Serious talk on development and nation building is on back seat in their agenda. Come elections and the Indian public are assured of fanatical theatrics of political parties that unabashedly hurl abuses at one other. Aspiring people’s representatives are divided along party lines. After elections they continue to remain in their default mode of mutual incongruence and the division further deepens on the basis of numbers into ruling party or an opposition party. Irrespective of the issue, be it a matter of serious deliberation or internal threat, parties are at war of words and refuse to arrive at any consensus. This results in fragmentation, absence of vision on shared goals. The political system must mature to deliver public goods.

Unless the foundations of the political system are deeply grounded with the sole aspiration of nation-building, progress is a mirage. The Indian political evolution is largely hounded by lackadaisical objectives of multiple political parties that are antithetical to inclusive development. Political parties with sectarian, divisive or authoritarian ideologies tend to weaken the spirit of nationhood.

Even in this internet generation, the wider section of political class still harbour an old feudal mindset and winning people’s mandate evokes an authoritarian instinct. Hence the age-old sketchy and vicious politics still rule the roost. Callous sycophants of political parties shower encomiums and patronise complacent ideologies even now. Democracy within party cadres is still oblivious to old political parties encumbering the flow of new energy, enthusiasm.

Recently a new political trend evolved wherein a theatrical performance or rhetoric directed against a person or rival parties aided in riding the wave of populism. But soon it ebbed out, staring at the imminent threat of vertical split of the parties. It is appalling that India with 65% of the population under the age of 35 years suffers from the lack of commendable representation of young leaders in political parties. The legacy of independent India has been bequeathed to us by several thousands of patriotic sons of the land who laid down their lives in the pursuit for freedom. It is incumbent upon us to refurbish the political system with grounded vision and robust ideology, and with pragmatic policy-making.