Indian democracy is a puppet in the hands of a few

Democracy must not be taken as mere voting or purchasing of votes. Unfortunately, this trend has caught up fast. The manner the economists cannot measure the standard of life based on consumption, in similar pattern, political leaders should not also be in the false impression that the poor people of India can be lured simply on promises alone.

Just see the travesty of rule and administration. Well before independence, Mahatma Gandhi had already imagined the future condition of India. He had said, "India has got independence, not the Congress party". Several decades ago, this fact said by him regarding Congress applies to all the political class today. The lord of power is state, but the government has usurped it. Power is veering around remaining centered into the hands of political parties and coalitions. The cruel face of communal violence that we witnessed last week in Muzaffernagar is the inevitable result of the increasing distance between state and government as well as the government and administration. State has become the follower of the government of the day while administration is a prisoner of the party in power.

Decay increases in every sphere by the day

Ruination on the fronts of economic, social, political moral has touched the bottom in such a manner that it does not seem possible for the country to recover from the degeneration-not at least for now. The conduct of state continues to be on the lines of colonial state in several ways. The behavior of several ministers, parliamentarians-legislators, bureaucrats, and police officers are on feudal and colonial working patterns. Instead of serving the people as its servants, the government and administration have become 'Mai-Baap' of the general masses. In the preamble of constitution the sentence written as, "We the people…" has evaporated into the thin air.

Political discussions have touched the lowest ebb to the extent that it is confined now between 'my corruption is more justifiable than your corruption'. Ideology has become extinct. Political parties come to power riding on the waves of one ideology but later, running the administration on some other ideology that is suited the best to them. Not a single, but the entire political parties are responsible for the sectionalism of the political system of the country, It is not essential for you to don the garland of bones to prove the point that you are a non-vegetarian, is it? Similarly, this is beyond our comprehension that why the political don caps to prove themselves to be sympathizing with a particular community or any other community?

What Gandhiji had said once

Mahatma Gandhi had once said that had there been not the minority community in our country, even then, we would have selected the pathways of a secularist state. The irony is that 'secularism' has become a controversial perception. Some parties openly poke fun at it while parties sloganeering in favor of secularism exhibit sham sympathy. Democracy is becoming a puppet in the hands of a few. Democracy is being used just for voting and buying the votes. Unfortunately this trend has caught up in a faster of late and Muzaffernager riot is the consequence of this.

What happened in Muzaffernagar

For several days, the criminals and communal elements killed innocent people in Muzaffernagar and nearby areas while police took instructions from political leaders regarding in what manner and when the riots be stopped. Akhilesh government did not extend support to the police officials when they tried to take steps to stop the rioters and criminal forces. Akhilesh government had to bite dust recently owing to the interference of his family members and favorites on various fronts. The only thing the state government did during the initial stage of rioting was to transfer the district superintendent and the district magistrate. The biggest surprise is why the 'Maha Panchayat' was organized in the midst of killings and mayhem. Lessons should have been learnt from the previous riots that had taken place in the state that the fire of excessive communal violence could take an ugly turn spreading everywhere.

Policy of control over police

In any country of world and in the entire history of humanity, police has never got full freedom from political control. Complete detachment between police and politics is not practicable also nor is it desirable. Police has immense power. Having control over it to stop misuse is imperative. Problem is, in our country, control over police has become a source of power unto itself. It is misused shamelessly to serve vested interests. Even in western countries also, illegal political control over police have been faced. They have developed such a mechanism with the help laws so that control over police could be had constitutionally. As for example is Britain, where demarcation has been created between police organization and police activities. This is the responsibility of the government there to arrange to formulate policies for police, standards, vigilance, resources and establishment for police. However, in police operations, the governments there do not have the right to issue guidelines and direction to the police. This right is vested with the police chief. This type of policy could be introduced in our country also. There are altogether three such agencies generally in the entire countries of world that have control over police- government, police and community. If the role of all these three agencies is legally defined, the problem could be partially solved. In the police act of Britain, this has been beautifully done. In the police act of Queensland in Australia also, such mechanism has been provided for. This act defines the communication between the minister and police in a distinct manner.

Wrap up

Politicization of administrative machinery and police has pushed the country deeper down the cesspool of decline. If the rot stinking into the system is not cleaned while there is yet the time, India will not take long to become a banana republic. Reorganization of institutions continuing from the colonial period is imperative. The goal of good governance cannot be achieved with hollow promises and populist sloganeering.

With the passing time, gradual decline in police power is setting in continually. The philosophy of police impartiality is enshrined in the imagination of law of administration. Retardation in this imagination has seeped in from the powerful elites of society or while serving the interests of a particular group of society. Pliable officers are appointed on sensitive positions who are eager to crawl when asked to bend merely.