Verdict 2009

Congress has sweeped a historic victory in two decades. With UPA winning 262 seats, it is just about majority in the Lok Sabha. The results show a trend of increasing confidence in the Indian National Congress beating the odds of the incumbency. But is it really an increase in confidence?

 

The 2009 mandate reflects that India has no place for the “politics of extremism”, i.e. either the Hindutva group or the Left. Performing governments are now being rewarded. End of identity as a factor of importance as BSP had less than expected gains. Return to national Politics. But, is all that really true?

 

Congress has increased its tally in the Lok Sabha from 145 to 206 but with a mere 2 percentage points increase in the vote share. This indicates a mere redistribution of votes which fetched them a winning combination rather than increase in their popularity. The vote share may have increased to keep the Left and BJP out of power. And the right number of votes in each constituency made up to a whopping number of 206.

 

This is not a sign of return to national politics. The national parties, Congress and BJP, contested more number of seats than 2004 but still saw a 1.3 percentage points fall in their combined vote share. Biju Janta Dal would be a good example of regional parties’ victory.

 

BSP, which is based on identity, has an increased vote share of 6.2% from 5.3% last time. Though, its vote share in UP is less than expected.

           

But, whatever be the reasons, UPA has a decisive mandate and is in a position to bring many long awaited reforms. It does not have any excuse for underestimated development in this term. It has a daunting task ahead and the road seems to be smooth.

 

Many schemes (NREGA, Bharat Nirman, NRHM) started by UPA seem to be capable of good development. It should try and take those schemes as far as possible. It is in a good position to bring the National Food Security Act, which ensures 25 kg of rice/wheat to people below poverty line at Rs 3 per Kg.

 

UPA also has the responsibility to conduct Commonwealth games 2010 successfully. This would exhibit India’s capability to improve infrastructure to the world and may attract foreign investments.

 

The large number of young leaders in the Lok Sabha represents increased expectations for a change. Young leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot need to take steps to bring about a change in the way India has been governed.

 

The mandate expects the new government to set examples and take India to never imagined level. I hope the government realizes the dreams and proves its mettle in style.

 

Whistle Blowers are the guardians of a Democracy

What is Democracy?

Wikipedia says, “Democracy is a form of government in which power is held indirectly by the citizens in a free electoral system.” Taking a 20000 feet view, it is the rule by the people themselves through a few elected representatives. But how would one ensure that the decisions taken by these elected representatives are for the benefit of the masses? Here comes the role of the guardians of a democracy.

 

In the phrase “Whistle blowers are the guardians of a democracy”, whistle blowers may take many roles. The roles may range from political opposition party to media to the judicial system. Let us examine the role of each of these as the guardians of a democracy.

 

The political parties which are not in majority in the parliament of a country are the opposition parties. As the word itself is descriptive, the role of these parties is to oppose the government’s decisions. These parties may be opposing to gain publicity by taking a more popular stand. But this allows a critical review of the bills proposed in the parliament and makes people aware of all the pros and cons of it. Also, the opposition is always on a hunt of facts and figures which may prove the government inefficient. These facts are useful for the public to get an indicative performance of the government. Recently we witnessed the debate on Nuclear deal in the Indian and US parliaments. These intense debates could unfold all the consequences of the deal before going ahead with it. Also, the US involvement in Iraq was debated in their parliaments and had major political consequences. So for all the above roles, the political opposition parties may be seen as the whistle blowers who guard a democracy.

 

The media may also be seen as a whistle blower. With the advent of technology and satellite communication, media has taken more and more responsibility to bring truth to the people. Now people have become more aware of the happening around them. It helps to incite a widespread debate amongst the people on many issues. After the terrorist attack on Mumbai, increased number of discussions through the media resulted in more protests from the people which forced the government to take a strong stand against Pakistan in the global society. Media has also been fruitful in assuring justice to the victims of cases like Jessica Lal murder case, BMW hit and run case, etc.

 

Another whistle blower who guards our democracy is the judicial system. Through provisions like public interest litigations, courts make sure that the constitution is preserved impartially. The police, who are the whistle blowers in a true sense, also contribute to guard the democracy. Maintaining the law and order of the states, both courts and the police make sure people are able to exercise their fundamental rights as per the law.

 

The army may not be a whistle blower, but is definitely the guardian of any democracy. These are the people who guard a democratic nation against any foreign invasion.

 

The United Nations also plays an important role in preserving the democracy of many countries. It makes the governments answerable in the international arena. It preserves the global laws through International court of Justice and ensures rights to be implemented through organisations like the UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, etc. 

 

A democracy would be “rule by the people” in a true sense only with all the above and many more whistle blowers which will continue to guard it.