Menu Top


Democracy and Politics in India

The Indian Constitution

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of the land. It is not just a legal document but a profound social and political statement that lays down the framework for the country's governance and articulates the vision of the society that the newly independent nation aspired to become. It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, a body of elected representatives, which held its deliberations between December 1946 and November 1949. The Constitution was formally adopted on 26th November 1949 and came into effect on 26th January 1950, the day India became a republic.

The Core Values Of Indian Democracy

The core values that underpin Indian democracy are enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution. The Preamble declares India to be a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and aims to secure for all its citizens:

These values, along with the principles laid out in the chapters on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy, form the foundational philosophy of the Indian Constitution.

Constituent Assembly Debates: A History

The framing of the Constitution was a remarkable historical process. The Constituent Assembly, chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the chairman of the Drafting Committee, was a diverse body representing different regions, communities, and political opinions of India. The members of the Assembly engaged in intense and thoughtful debates on every clause of the Constitution.

These Constituent Assembly Debates, which have been preserved and published, are a valuable historical resource. They provide an insight into the thinking of the framers, the different perspectives on key issues, and the rationale behind the final provisions of the Constitution. They show that the Constitution was not a monolithic document but the product of discussion, compromise, and a shared commitment to building a democratic and inclusive nation.

Competing Interests: The Constitution And Social Change

The members of the Constituent Assembly were acutely aware that they were drafting a constitution for a society that was deeply unequal, stratified by caste and class, and marked by poverty and illiteracy. The Constitution was therefore seen not just as a tool for political governance but as an instrument for bringing about social change and revolution.

However, there were often competing interests and different visions for this social change. For example, there was a major debate on the issue of property rights. While leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru wanted the state to have the power to acquire land for public purposes and to carry out land reforms, other members were concerned about protecting the right to private property. The final provisions of the Constitution reflect a compromise between these competing interests. This tension between the right to property and the state's responsibility to bring about social justice continued to be a major source of political and legal conflict for decades after the Constitution was adopted.

Constitutional Norms And Social Justice: Interpretation To Aid Social Justice

The Indian Constitution is a 'living document'. Its meaning is not fixed but has been continuously interpreted and expanded by the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court of India, to address the changing needs of society and to further the cause of social justice.

The Supreme Court, through its power of judicial review, has played a crucial role in shaping the social and political life of the country.

Example 1: Basic Structure Doctrine

In the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), the Supreme Court laid down the 'basic structure' doctrine, which holds that the Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution, but it cannot alter its 'basic structure' or fundamental features, such as democracy, secularism, federalism, and the rule of law. This doctrine has been a powerful tool to protect the core values of the Constitution from being undermined by political majorities.

Example 2: Expansion of Article 21

The Supreme Court has given a very expansive interpretation to Article 21, which guarantees the 'right to life and personal liberty'. The Court has ruled that this right includes a wide range of other rights that are essential for a dignified human existence, such as the right to a clean environment, the right to education, the right to health, and the right to privacy. This creative interpretation has been instrumental in advancing the cause of social justice and human rights in India.


The Panchayati Raj And The Challenges Of Rural Social Transformation

One of the most significant steps towards deepening democracy in India has been the establishment of the Panchayati Raj system. This is a system of local self-government for rural areas, which aims to devolve power and responsibility to the village level. While the idea of village panchayats has a long history in India, it was given a constitutional foundation through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.

Ideals Of Panchayati Raj

The 73rd Amendment established a uniform three-tier structure of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country:

  1. Gram Panchayat at the village level.
    2. - Panchayat Samiti (or Block/Mandal Panchayat) at the intermediate/block level. - Zilla Parishad (or District Panchayat) at the district level.

The key ideals behind this system are:

Powers And Responsibilities Of Panchayats

The Constitution entrusts the Panchayats with the responsibility for preparing and implementing plans for economic development and social justice. They are supposed to have powers over a range of subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, including agriculture, minor irrigation, rural housing, drinking water, and sanitation. However, in practice, the actual devolution of funds, functions, and functionaries to the Panchayats by the state governments has often been slow and inadequate.

Panchayati Raj In Tribal Areas

Recognizing that the general provisions of the 73rd Amendment might conflict with the traditional governance systems of Adivasi communities, the Parliament enacted the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, in 1996. This Act extends the Panchayati Raj system to the tribal areas but with certain modifications. It gives significant powers to the Gram Sabha (the village assembly of all voters), including control over local natural resources and the right to be consulted before any land acquisition. PESA is a crucial piece of legislation for tribal self-rule, though its implementation has been weak in many states.

Democratisation And Inequality

The Panchayati Raj system has been a powerful instrument for social transformation. It has brought governance closer to the people and has provided a platform for the political empowerment of marginalized groups, especially women and Dalits. The experience of being a Sarpanch (village head) has given many women and Dalits a new sense of confidence and agency.

However, the functioning of the Panchayats is also deeply affected by the existing structures of inequality in rural society. The traditional dominant groups—the upper castes and powerful landowning families—often try to maintain their control over the PRIs. Elected representatives from marginalized groups, particularly women, often face numerous challenges. They may be treated as mere proxies for their male relatives (the phenomenon of the 'Sarpanch Pati' or husband of the Sarpanch), or they may be undermined by the local bureaucracy and the dominant elites. The struggle to make Panchayati Raj a genuine instrument of participatory democracy and social justice, in the face of entrenched social and economic inequalities, remains a major challenge.


Political Parties, Pressure Groups And Democratic Politics

Democratic politics is not just about the formal institutions of the state and the constitution. It is a dynamic process that is shaped by the interaction of various social and political actors who compete for power and influence. In a modern democracy like India, the most important of these actors are political parties and pressure groups.

Political Parties

A political party is an organization of people who share a common ideology and who work to win elections and control government power. Parties perform several crucial functions in a democracy:

India has a multi-party system, with a mix of large national parties (like the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party) and a large number of regional and state-level parties. The rise of regional and caste-based parties since the 1990s has been a significant feature of Indian politics, reflecting the country's social diversity and the assertion of different community identities.

Pressure Groups

A pressure group (or interest group) is an organization that seeks to influence government policy on a particular issue or to promote the interests of a specific section of society. Unlike political parties, pressure groups do not contest elections or seek to control government directly. Instead, they try to influence the government from the outside.

The methods used by pressure groups include:

India has a wide variety of pressure groups, representing different interests:

The interplay between political parties, which seek to win power by building broad coalitions, and pressure groups, which articulate specific interests, is at the heart of the dynamic and often contentious process of democratic politics in India.