Do we have democracy in India?

I remember some years back in the news paper that Sonia Gandhi warned people who said not very respectfully about her pet man Manmohan Singh. She said, he is prime minister of India and so to talk disrespectfully about him amounts to showing disrespect for the post of prime minister. This gave me a point for consideration and I want to share with you all my interpretation. I had some queries in my mind related to this topic.

Is there any difference between natural democracy and constitution based democracy?

If our present constitution is not proclaiming true form of democracy then what would be that constitution which shall be considered as truly democratic constitution?

What is the true form of democracy?

Do we have a constitution proclaiming democracy?

A seat of honor and a person sitting on that seat are different or same.

I shall consider my queries taking first the last one, if a seat of honor and the occupier are equal or different. I better explain the point with an example so that you may understand the significance better. There is a proverb in Marathi that says, “A monkey sitting on a throne is not called a king, he is called a monkey”. That means a monkey whether sits on a branch of a tree or a throne that does not make a difference for the observers; he is always a monkey for them. The extension of this argument shall suggest that a prime minister’s seat is different from a person occupying that august seat, they are not the same and so any criticism of that person is a criticism of that person and it has nothing to do with what seat he is sitting. When we criticize our ministers it is criticism of those individuals and their wrong work. The seat they may be occupying is totally immune from any of the criticisms. The seat is beyond any possibility of criticism or praise; neither affects the seat. One friend of mine a solicitor by profession told me the hitch in the matter. He told me if somebody criticizes a person by taking his name then this argument is applied but if instead that person is criticized calling him by the seat he is occupying then it may be (not necessarily always though) considered as condemnation of the seat. Other law watchers have other views. This explains that any criticism of Manmohan Singh or Narendra Mody of today is essentially his and has nothing to do with what seat they may be or may not be occupying. Criticism or praise is always permanent but position of any seat is always temporary. And so even after the person has left that seat the criticism or praise due to his work still continues to hold good for him or her.

My second from last query, Do we have a constitution proclaiming democracy?

I personally feel that our present constitution is not proclaiming democracy. Then what does it proclaim? Yes, this inquiry automatically comes up and unless I answer it, my objection can not be accepted. According to my reading of this constitution our present constitution proclaims representative government and it does not mean democracy by any standards. People vote for some to occupy important positions in the government and that by no standard can be considered as true form of democracy. Yes, one may call it pseudo democracy or partial democracy or relative democracy but not complete, true democracy. People are not free excepting some ordinary freedoms. In fact this constitution makes people slaves of the representatives they vote; and so this system can not be considered as a true democratic system. I shall explain what I feel proper democratic system according to my thinking later. I shall consider other problems those this constitution has imposed on citizens as this discussion continues. I very much feel it is time that we hold an open public discussion on this vital subject and enlighten the people that present constitution is not the ideal one that we may depend on it!

You may contact me on my Email ID given below,

ashokkothare@gmail.com

You are invited to visit my other blogs

Ashok Kothare, http://ashokkotharesblog.blogspot.com/ for stories

I reckon, http://kotharesviews.blogspot.com/ for philosophy

You may visit blog, Ideas and tips on any subject, http://kotharay.blogspot.in/ for intelligent discussions.

Freedom of Expression, http://Blogs.siliconindia.com/kothare for intelligent discussions.

My New Marathi Blog, http://kothare-marathi.blogspot.in/ मला असे वाटते