Democracy – To Be Or Not To Be

February 22, 2023

Democracy – To Be

Or

Not To Be?

Padmini Arhant

Any government and political leadership at the helm in particular responding to foreign comment on the undemocratic status of the head of the state in the so-called democratic system would not allow and legislate the following undemocratic process.

The electoral bonds flooding the political campaigns with incumbent at the national level benefitting the most from known and unknown as well as anonymous sources from within the country and offshore including the nation’s adversary like China financing the candidacy while occupying national territory in Northeast and Himalayan range deploy the nation and citizens at foreign aggressor’s mercy.

Notwithstanding treason transpiring in such transactions.

The horse trading applicable to open bidding with cash and kind incentives buying out elected members – the MLA’s and MP’s in state and national level dismiss election purpose. The democratic system is subverted to benefit major political party in the nation.

The trend though previously existent under earlier administrations and national political party i.e. Congress and state political groups in swaying votes on key legislations is further established in political party representation shifting minority to majority and vice versa in contemporary governance at the center.

The political maneuvering albeit with unaccounted black money in plain corruption deals other than controversial electoral bonds facilitate toppling majority governments and political parties in states and union territories nationwide.

Importantly, the present Central government chronic political strategy targeting political factions at the state and national domain debilitate democracy and void electoral outcome regardless.

On national security, the external affairs ministry attributing sole credit to head of the executive branch on deployment of national defense force along the Himalayan range and LAC with China stationed since March 2020 until now fails to acknowledge the unresolved crisis with China costing Indian economy enormous resources and expenditure to sustain troop deployment in the extraordinary Himalayan terrain.

All the more reason for the head of the executive branch in national public administration to meet the nation’s press barring selective admission of government choice questions and address all matter related to national interests.

The protocol followed in most parts of the world as vital democratic duty from the head of the state clearing doubts and alleviating citizens’ concerns is somehow not respected and never adhered to by current Indian leadership since assuming office in 2014 and till date. 

The RSS trajectory on treason pre-independence and post-independence is irrefutable.

The RSS prominent member Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s plea bargain with colonial ruler – then British Raj for personal release in exchange for RSS trained armed contingency aiding India’s foreign colonial ruler against Indian population en masse exacerbated freedom struggle.

Thereafter post-independence RSS member Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. The assassin Godse is hailed a hero by sitting BJP Parliament member and government in New Delhi.

Fast forward to recent events. The executive branch in New Delhi misusing armed forces for political and personal gains is evidenced in Pulwama attack in Kashmir i.e. Jammu-Srinagar national highway on February 14, 2019 with national election scheduled in May 2019.

A convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was targeted resulting in 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel deaths leaving their young dependents and survivors bereft of parent and earning member.

The Pulwama attack was a colossal failure from central government to avert the incident. The inaction from government with intelligence information available beforehand confirm the lack of initiative and interest to protect armed forces lives prioritizing election prospects over defense force by central government.

Subsequently the incumbent Prime Minister candidate in 2019 abusing Pulwama attack in election rally with campaign speech delivered in the backdrop of bill boards featuring armed forces – the politics using national defense force prohibited by election commission for all political parties across the board was slighted and violated by BJP and incumbent PM candidate in 2019.

The series of violations from the head of the nation in 2019 election and political career misusing religion, defense force, communal divide…among myriad anti-democratic display is a severe setback for democracy.

Above all, the chief of executive branch in New Delhi direct engagement in systemic destruction of institutional autonomy and independent status to function with respect to judiciary, monetary authority such as the Reserve Bank of India, the election commission and not even sparing the Indian national defense force is the last straw. 

The national defense force with creation of chief of staff for the combined army, naval and air force command directly reporting to Prime Minister sidelining the traditional constitutional Presidential obligations to preside over the defense force as the commander-in-chief has more to it than meets the eye in terms of job description.

The newly set up joint chief of defense staff post under Prime Minister would be responsible for defense procurement and stockpiles for all three forces which is a phenomenal cash cow for corporate run politics with selective oligarchy such as Adani, Ambani groups enjoying unlimited unfettered access to economic windfall across economic sector. The defense contracts and projects are icing on the cake exclusively benefitting specific oligarchs and their representative as the head of the executive branch.

In successive blow to Indian national defense force organizational structure and sanctity known for the once admired institutional discipline in keeping communal sentiments and corruption at bay,

The incumbent BJP government introduction of the contentious Agnipath defense recruitment policy last year in 2022 transforming conventional long term defense recruitment to four-year-limit contractual hiring to serve government favored corporate agenda revealed true colors of the present leadership, the political party and government.

The revelations on government decisions related to defense force and objectionable abuse of executive power across the spectrum speak volume on the state of affairs.

The head of the government modus operandi exemplified in disrespect for uniformed forces, not preventing their murder in Pulwama attack along with abandoning their survivors were not all.

The government and leadership default in this incident alluded to State sponsored terrorism against defense personnel. The presumption aroused queries regarding Pulwama attack that were evaded and substituted with government’s unsubstantiated narrative.

The prejudice against potential defense force volunteers lately demonstrated in much protested Agnipath defense policy reducing defense force to mere contractual outsource recruitment.

The agonizing trail from the chief executive in New Delhi represent egregious and irreconcilable deeds committed against the nation, the defense force and citizens at large.

To sum it up the latest stunt not surprisingly from the head of the nation is involving retired servicemen in government propaganda on regional politics to settle political scores with people in southern state of Tamil Nadu. 

In a real functioning democracy, the state would not control and operate press and diverse media in overt and covert means by proxy.

There would be no duplicity in criticism of government policies, plans and performance.

Unlike the political leadership monetized criticism to showcase fake democracy, the genuine constructive criticism of government and political actions are struck down in social media like youtube and other format.

Furthermore, extreme measures such as authorizing the murder of female writer, journalist in cold blood in daylight at her residence in Bengaluru and the head of the nation cheering that heinous crime on twitter by swearing the deceased in public pale a defiant authoritarian regime in comparison to pseudo democracy.

The actions against critics such as authors, former members in the national or state government cadre as IPS officer viz. Sanjiv Bhatt for daring to speak the truth on Gujarat pogrom in 2002, human rights activists like Mrs. Sudha Bharadwaj pledging life in representing indigenous tribes Adivasis and farmers land rights against feudal corporate oppression, Mrs. Teesta Setalvad for providing social and humanitarian service to Gujarat Godhra victims of violence and environmentalists for saving scarce territories and habitats from oligarchy proprietorship…all and many of these activities involve imprisonment without due process on false charges.

Though the latter two female members Mrs. Sudha Bharadwaj and Mrs. Teesta Setalvad are released on bail after long hard legal battle, the former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt is sentenced for life on political vendetta by government shaming democracy and judiciary ethics in non-compliance of national constitutional law granting equal rights to the accused barring government intervention and influence that is rampant and norm in the present time more than ever.

In other undemocratic unruly interference by incumbent national government –  unlawfully eliminating former defense force personnel Tej Bahadur Yadav from campaign trail for gaining popularity over incumbent Prime Minister candidate in Varanasi in 2019 general election are not merely few and far between governmental intrusions exceeding predecessors in silencing democracy through undeclared emergency. 

The head of the state open instigation in public speech during political rallies to target nation’s minority citizens i.e. muslims based on their clothes and outfits leading to violence in university campus and main street exploiting religion both Sanatan Dharm, Islam, Christianity…are common political practice again superseding former governments and political factions in power.

Against Hindus, the politics maintaining the abhorrent caste system entirely for vote banks besides marginalization and polarization of society is lauded by state media as the real power and model democracy.

Last but not the least, the system touted as world’s largest democracy parading the head of the national administration constitutionally confined to five-year-term limit position as the symbol and icon is contradictory to democracy and idea of republic presiding over sovereignty and constitution via electoral ballots.

The excessive self-adulation and flamboyance being the signature traits of the head of the public national administration buttressed with cronyism ad nauseam from key cabinet members, groveling media as state propagandists…leave candid totalitarian regimes far behind in amassment of power, glory and carte blanche authority.

There is a thin line between democracy deformed into hypocrisy and despotism aided by plutocracy declared paradigm of democracy.

The status quo defining the system and designation misconstrued to suit personal and political dogma incontrovertibly is anything but democratic. 

Padmini Arhant 

Author & Presenter 

PadminiArhant.com

Prakrithi.PadminiArhant.com 

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, Indian Sub-Continent, International Politics 

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