Protect the power of ‘the little man’ in a Democracy

Context: 

The article talks about deep contradictions in the country in the backdrop of completion of 75 years of Independence and the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Republic.

State of democracy in India:

• Prevalence of Poverty: Abject poverty prevails, there is a deepening divide between the rich and the poor, precarious conditions affect the rule of law, and not so good governance poses grave challenges to the very existence of democracy and the republic.
• Polarisation: The nation stands polarised on religious and caste lines, resulting in the creation of deep distrust, if not animosity. 
• Opposition at Crossroads: The party in power at the Centre is unwilling to cede an inch to the Opposition to maintain a vibrant democracy. 
  • There is a constant targeting of the Opposition, as verbal attacks and political destabilisation of governments in Opposition ruled States, through political machinations and “raids” and “checks” by several core central agencies. 
• Role of Judiciary: With weakened constitutional safeguards and institutions, the judiciary, including the Supreme Court of India, has been slow to stop these attacks.
  • For example, the floor test that the judiciary applies only seems to aid the efforts of the ruling party in bringing down Opposition governments, and is a completely futile judicial weapon. 
• The judiciary needs to innovate to stop the luring of elected MLAs, in order to protect the power of the “little man” in a democracy, as Sir Winston Churchill described it.

Learnings from the Constitutional Assembly Debates:

• Views of H.V. Kamath: He said, “I hope that we in India will go forward and try to make the State exist for the individual rather than the individual for the State”.

Opposition, a ‘necessary evil’ 

Discussing the importance of Opposition members of the Constituent Assembly, Z.H. Lari said, 

• “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Every party that comes into power tries to make its hold permanent. 
• The only check on the degeneration of party government into despotism is the existence of another party that keeps a strict eye on the doings of the cabinet and the party and thereby prevents the degeneration of a party government into a dictatorship.
• There cannot be a proper functioning of any party government unless there is constant criticism of the doings of that party.”

News Source: The Hindu