Nov. 10: Caste and religion still reign supreme on the political scene in the country, a full 63 years after Independence. This proves beyond doubt that politics in India has systemic issues that need to be addressed, says Ajit Phadnis, a former alumnus of IIM-Bangalore. Mr Phadnis should know what he is saying, after completing his one year internship at the Lok Sabha recently when he had the opportunity to observe the functioning of this August institution from close quarters.
As the modu operandi of political parties has a significant influence on the functioning of Parliament, the preponderence of caste and religion is threatening the very survival of India's democracy, he said in a research paper titled, ‘Democratic quotient of the Indian Parliament.’
Factors connected to caste and religion inevitably determine the direction in which a political party heads. Another important factor is the excessive influence of money power during elections, which means that the majority of MPs representing India, are those from the extremely affluent sections. This means that it is difficult for a person of average income to be elected to Parliament, said Mr Phadnis.
“The objective of this study was to secure the views of those in Parliament about the institution itself and the opinions of the majority of MPs on various issues. The most glaring of the concerns or weaknesses are the working of political parties which includes money and muscle power, curbing the views of party people and the increasing disruptions in Parliament sessions,” said Mr Phadnis while speaking to Deccan Chronicle.
Of the 100 MPs chosen for the study, as many as 75 per cent are current members of Parliament. Of them, 84 per cent were from the Lok Sabha and 16 per cent from the Rajya Sabha while the male-female ratio was 94 and 6 per cent respectively, explained the researcher.
He added, “A systemic problem with our democracy is that MPs feel that their work does not significantly influence their chances of getting re-elected. Caste, religion and money appear to be playing bigger roles. The disruptions in Parliament are only giving negative inspiration to our MLAs and corporators, who are taking it to new lows in the state legislatures and in the corporation and municipal councils. Almost a 2/3rd majority expressed the opinion that political parties do not permit them to express views which are divergent from the party stance leading them to believe that it is a few party leaders who are deciding the course of this country’s future”
Mr Phadnis in his report, that has now evoked the interest of political leaders in Karnataka too, suggests guidelines for the reform of political parties.
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