The document discusses the differences between political parties and interest groups, defining political parties as organizations that contest elections to gain power, while interest groups aim to influence specific policies. It also outlines the features of the political party system in India, including its multi-party nature and challenges faced by Indian democracy such as corruption and criminalization. Additionally, it introduces the concept of Gandhian Gram Swaraj, emphasizing the importance of village self-sufficiency and local governance.
The document discusses the differences between political parties and interest groups, defining political parties as organizations that contest elections to gain power, while interest groups aim to influence specific policies. It also outlines the features of the political party system in India, including its multi-party nature and challenges faced by Indian democracy such as corruption and criminalization. Additionally, it introduces the concept of Gandhian Gram Swaraj, emphasizing the importance of village self-sufficiency and local governance.
The document discusses the differences between political parties and interest groups, defining political parties as organizations that contest elections to gain power, while interest groups aim to influence specific policies. It also outlines the features of the political party system in India, including its multi-party nature and challenges faced by Indian democracy such as corruption and criminalization. Additionally, it introduces the concept of Gandhian Gram Swaraj, emphasizing the importance of village self-sufficiency and local governance.
The document discusses the differences between political parties and interest groups, defining political parties as organizations that contest elections to gain power, while interest groups aim to influence specific policies. It also outlines the features of the political party system in India, including its multi-party nature and challenges faced by Indian democracy such as corruption and criminalization. Additionally, it introduces the concept of Gandhian Gram Swaraj, emphasizing the importance of village self-sufficiency and local governance.
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4.1.
1 Political Parties -Meaning, differences between Political Parties
and Interest Groups
Differences between Political Parties and Interest Groups.
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government, usually with a particular ideology or platform. An interest group is an organization that seeks to influence government policy on behalf of its members.
Political Party Definition- An organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within a government. Purpose- To gain and hold power, and implement policies. Membership- Open to general public, voters and elected officials. Leadership- Elected officials or selected members.
Interest Group Definition- An organization that seeks to influence government policy in a specific area. Purpose- To influence specific policies and laws. Membership- Usually focused on a specific issue or interest and membership is often restricted. Leadership- Often led by professionals or experts in a specific issue.
4.1.2 Features of Political Parties in India
Features of Party System in India
Here are the salient features of the party system in India: Multi-party System: India is a vast country with many people. There are a lot of political parties in India that are further divided into categories like right parties, centrist and left parties. The coalition governments, hung assemblies, and hung parliaments have been static phenomena in Indian politics. Lack of Clear Ideology: In India, only three parties work with a clear ideology: BJP, CPM, and CPI. In contrast, the rest lack a clear-cut ideology and possess a similar ideology regarding policies and programs. These parties work on the principles of socialism, secularism, democracy, and Gandhism. One-dominant Party Systems: India is a democratic country. Yet, only one party ruled the country for quite a long time after independence. Because of this, an eminent political analyst, Rajni Kothari, called the Party system in India the Congress System or the one-party dominance system.
4.1.3 Coalition Politics and Future of Multi- Party System in India
The coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to
form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election.
Features of Coalition Government
The features of a Coalition Government are highlighted below: Coalition is formed for the sake of reward, material or psychic. A coalition implies the existence of a least two partners. The underlying principle of a coalition system stands on the simple fact of temporary conjunction of specific interest. In coalition politics, coalition players and groups can dissolve and form new ones. The keynote of coalition politics is compromise and rigid dogma has no place in it. A coalition works on the basis of a minimum programme, which may not be ideal for each partner of the coalition.
4.2.1. Democracy and the Consent of the Governed
Consent of the Governed: A Positive Definition
The United States of America was the first modern state formed around the principle of consent of the governed. The term implies that the people of a country or territory have the right of self-rule and must consent, either in a direct referendum or through elected representatives, to the establishment of their own government. In most modern cases, the form of the state is a republic, or rule by voting citizens within an agreed-upon constitutional and legal framework. But some monarchies also operate with the consent of the governed, as in the United Kingdom, where over time the monarch has given up most political and administrative functions to elected officials and the government is formed through regular elections.
4.2.4 Challenges to Indian Democracy – Old & New
In spite of being the largest democracy in the world Indian democracy also suffers from some challenges of its own nature, e.g., challenge of expansion; challenge of deepening democracy; challenge of criminalisation and challenge of corruption. Challenge Of Expansion: This challenge of Indian democracy involves the practical aspects of Ensuring greater power to local governments. Extension of federal principles to all the units of the federation. Inclusion of women and minority groups.
Although India has the federal nature of democracy based on decentralisation of power, the local self-government is not implemented in a fair and just manner at every local or regional level because India has a quasi-federal nature of democratic set up which is unitary basis. Women and minority groups still have not got a proper representation in the electoral politics of India. Hence, electoral reforms and political reforms have to be introduced in India.
Challenges like casteism, communalism, political violence, etc.
Casteism: Casteism plays a dominant role in Indian polity. There are many caste pressure groups like Scheduled Caste Federation, etc., which influence those who are in power by different methods to get their demands met. For example, political parties like the AIADMK, DMK and BSP have come up to protect the interests of the backward classes. Communalism: Communalism has also its negative implications in Indian politics like: It leads to the formation and growth of "pressure groups to protect and promote specific interest of the community e.g., V.H.P. etc. It also leads to intolerance, suspicion and fear towards members of the other communities. Besides, there are various types of violence: The most serious manifestation of political and social violence is the growth of "Terrorism". Rising state violence is assuming serious dimensions and harms the very foundation of a democratic polity. Thus, this challenge requires an attempt to bring down the control and influence of the rich and powerful people in governmental decision making.
Challenge Of Criminalization: This challenge of Indian democracy reflects: Money and muscle power, violence, Multiplicity of candidates, Lack of electoral ethics, insufficient society like minorities and women etc. have polluted the electoral by candidates is true. As yet we do not know if it has led to decline in the influence of the rich and criminals. Hence, meaningful and comprehensive electoral reforms are urgently needed. Challenge Of Corruption: This challenge of Indian democracy is related to the criminal record and personal possession of politicians. Now it is mandatory for every candidate who contests election to file an "Affidavit" giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him. The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. But there is no system to check if the information given is valid or not.
4.3.1. Beginnings - Gandhian Gram Swaraj
Introduction The Idea of Gram Swaraj is that it is a complete republic, independent of its neighbours for its own vital wants, and yet interdependent for many others in which dependence is a necessity. Thus, every village's first concern will be to grow its own food crops and cotton for its cloth. It should have a reserve for its cattle, recreation and playground for adults and children. Then if there is more land available, it will grow useful money crops, thus excluding ganja, tobacco, opium and the like.
Conclusion Gandhiji believed that India will have to live in villages, not in towns, in huts not in palaces. He held this conviction by saying that "If village perishes, India will perish too”. The task before us is to strengthen and revitalize local institutions and gradually move forward towards the Gandhi’s concept of Gram Swaraj.
