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In News
- Recently, the External Affairs Minister stated that India has initiated activities through its cultural centres abroad to emphasise the message that India is the mother of democracy.
About a democracy
- Meaning:
- In a democratic country, people themselves select and elect a representative as their leader.
- As Abraham Lincoln famously expressed, democracy is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.
- It is a political system where people are supreme and freedom of choice is its core.
- Origin:
- The term ‘democracy’ originated from the Greek term ‘d?mokratía’ which means “rule of the people”.
- There are two types of democracies in the world:
- Direct democracy:
- Direct democracy is the one in which the eligible citizens directly and actively participate in the political decision-making.
- Indirect democracy:
- Indirect democracy is the one in which the sovereign power remains with the eligible citizens and the elected representatives exercise the political power; this type of democracy is also known as democratic republic or the representative democracy.
- Direct democracy:
What makes India ‘the mother of democracy’?
- Democracy of Ancient India:
- Sabhas and Samitis:
- One of the ancient civilizations was in India. The existence of Sabhas and Samitis throughout the Vedic Period is where India’s history of democracy begins.
- Ganarajya:
- Republican States in ancient India was called Ganarajya.
- The word Gana also means numbers and Ganarajya will therefore mean the rule of numbers or the rule of many.
- Republican States in ancient India was called Ganarajya.
- Non-monarchical clans of Jatakas:
- The Buddhist texts (Jatakas) also refers to the existence of many autonomous clan with a non-monarchical form of government in sixth century B.C. Notable among them were Shakyas of Kapilavastu, Lichchhavis of Vaishali, the Videhas of Mithila, etc.
- The Prime Minister recently cited an example of a Tamil Nadu village.
- “There is a small but famous village in Tamil Nadu, called Uthiramerur. An inscription on a rock here, some 1,100 or 1,200 years old, amazes the world. This rock inscription is like a mini-Constitution. It explains in detail how the gram sabha should be conducted and what should be the process of selection of its members,”.
- He added, there is another example of democratic values in our history.
- The 12th-century Anubhav Mandapam of Bhagwan Basaveshwara. Here, free debate and discussion was encouraged.
- Sabhas and Samitis:
- Democracy of Modern India:
- Today, India is the largest democracy in the world.
- The democratic India believes in the principles of equality, liberty, justice and fraternity.
- Pluralism & indiscrimination:
- India has a pluralistic and consultative tradition that very few societies, if anybody at all, can match.
- The people from any caste, creed, sex, religion, and region have an equal right to vote and choose their representatives.
- Progressiveness:
- Since its inception, India has taken a progressive stance.
- Indians have granted women the right to vote, protected every citizen’s fundamental rights, and incorporated the principle of the separation of powers.
- Secularism:
- Indians have also incorporated principles like secularism, which are still not widely practiced in other democracies, into the Indian Constitution from the beginning.
- Today, India is the largest democracy in the world.
Features of Indian democracy
- Parliamentary form of government:
- India has a parliamentary form of government based on a universal adult franchise.
- The executive authority is responsible to the elected representatives of the people. Parliament for all its decisions and actions. Sovereignty rests ultimately with the people.
- Collective accountability:
- The legislature, which is made up of the elected government, is collectively accountable to the elected government.
- In an Indian democracy, the Council of Ministers, both in the states and the centre, is collectively responsible for their respective ministers.
- Independent Judiciary:
- The judiciary is independent of the executive. It is the guardian and interpreter of the Constitution.
- At the apex of the entire judicial system exists the Supreme Court of India. Each State has its own High Court.
- A code of civil and criminal laws applies to the whole country.
- Supremacy of the Constitution:
- In India, neither the parliament nor the judiciary have any precedence over the Constitution.
- Written constitution:
- In contrast to many other nations, India has a written constitution which clearly defines the roles, powers, and obligations of the several departments of government and sets down the limitations within which they must operate.
- The Fundamental Rights:
- The Fundamental Rights of every Indian citizen include the freedom of speech, expression, belief, assembly and association, migration, and choice of occupation or trade.
- These rights also protect every Indian from discrimination on grounds of race, religion, creed or sex, and are enforceable in courts of law.
Challenges faced by Indian Democracy
- Heterogeneous society:
- The major challenge faced by democracy is the heterogeneous composition of the country as Indian society is divided on the basis of caste, religion, etc.
- People in India still vote in favour of caste, community or religion.
- Criminalisation of politics:
- Criminalisation of politics and political violence also create hindrance in the smooth functioning of democracy.
- Manipulation of people’s verdicts by the political parties is still practised.
- Other factors:
- Factors such as corruption, women’s issues, caste issues, political strategies etc. affect politics at the national and the state level in the country.
- Illiteracy is a major factor which can affect the smooth functioning of democracy in the country.
- Poverty too affects the successful running of democracy.
- Political and communal violence has gained serious proportions in the country.
Way ahead
- The role of the citizens of India is most important for its democracy.
- For a successful working of democracy, it is the right as well as the duty of every Indian to choose and elect the appropriate representative for the country.
- Civil society has to go beyond the nation-state to renew the idea of the Earth as an imagination.
- India needs a new rethink around peace. It has to go beyond the official text of security and borders.
Daily Mains Question [Q] What makes India “A mother of democracy”? Analyse the significance of democracy within political parties for the smooth functioning of democracy in India. |
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