|
Challenges
to Democracy:
3rd Lecture in the series on 05-10-2007
By Shri.
K. Venu
Thinker,
Writer, Social Activist and Political Analyst.
 |
"The
social inequity created by the
caste-colour systems in India still remain a stumbling block
against democratization in most of the States in the country."
- Sri. K. Venu |
Democracy
was defined by Leninist theory that it was simply a syndicate of
class domination in the form of a government by people. This theory
has extensively influenced the followers of leftist ideology in
Kerala. Democracy over the ages has evolved through the organic
process of the civil society movements and structures that were
conceived/initiated for resolving the inherent contradictions
between individuals and societies existed from the very beginning of
the human habituations. The Leninist approach and indoctrination
deliberately and purposefully suppress or distort this fact.
The
view that holds if you wish to manifestly materialize democracy, you
should have first achieved economic democracy, is very pertinent and
hence a welcome idea. However, economic democracy will only be real
through force and coercive means that have become indispensable
inevitable. And unfortunately party autocracy too becomes a quite
essential for the furtherance and perpetuation of authority.
Therefore, democracy becomes sheer impossible or unrealistic for the
Leninist school.
The
economic foundation of the parliamentary democracy is the highly
competitive market economy. Democracy is just impossible or out of
question in a highly centralized economic system that does not allow
market and competition.
The
social inequity created by the caste-colour systems in India still
remain a stumbling block against democratization in most of the
States in the country. The Bhakti Movement that revolted against the discredited caste-colour
structure was the true and appropriate starting point in India for
its own democratic revolution. The Western democratic structure was
imposed on us as part of the on going anti-colonial struggle.
Consequently the democratization of the dalit, other back ward and
marginalized communities who constitute the brutal majority of the
people in India was ignored or over looked. Though the
politicization of these sections of Indian polity has been
considerably embarked, this milieu still remains the most vulnerable
part of Indian democracy and its institutions. |
