Lame Democracy, Federalism and the Nuclear Deal
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India is an extreme democracy. There is an area of tacit principles and an area of formalized rules in a democracy. India’s governance structure has allowed the former to be disregarded and the latter to be violated without repurcussions!
The Nuclear deal is decidedly a very touchy issue. I believe only a few organizations and individuals should have the right to comment on it.
One, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India – because it is the foremost in line of folks whose daily life will get affected.
Two, the Indian Defense Forces – so India’s Chief of Staff along with the other Chiefs should have the most important say.
Third, a Chief Justice and Attorney General – with help from whoever they prefer – in order to decipher the fine print of the deal.
Fourth and the last, the Prime Minister with his cabinet.
No other person or organization should have ANY right nor the authority to make a hue and cry about this. Period.
Yeah yeah… we live in a democracy. But the democractic right of making your voice heard should be exercised at the poll booth not on the streets etc. Democracy means that the Government represent the majority vote.. and NOT that the Government elected should run the country by consensus! If the elected Government has to run the country by constantly asking the losers at the poll to get validated.. then why bother about the elections?? Just have the entire jing-bang of everyone and his brother sit in the parliament and muse on the next action. In any case we dont get much done in the parliament anyways!
In our race to embrace democracy we have lost the true meaning of democracy somewhere far behind. The efficiency and effectiveness in running a country should not and cannot be sacrificed at the altar of representation – at every stage!
The incident that has me really mad is this resolution in the Kerala Assembly against the Nuclear Deal. Now this is an assembly which is communist. Yeah strangely a state where everyone grows up to migrate to Dubai or US has a communist party at the helm for long now.
The 240-member House adopted the private resolution moved by V N Vasavan of CPI-M asking the UPA government not to go ahead with the deal, with only the ruling LDF members taking part in the voting.
In all, 79 members voted in favour of the resolution while the Congress-led UDF members abstained from voting.
Look at the nonsense of this situation – 79 members out of 240 member house voted in favor.. and the party whose National Government is doing the deal – abstain from voting! What does that say about those idiots? And isn’t it a mockery of Indian democracy?
This incident brings up a bigger issue – which should be dealt with by the Supreme Court of India and quashed right away. That of Federal structure and the rights within that structure. The gentlemen who drew our constitution were very clear that states cannot do something on their own and try to get out of the federal structure. This is an act of superseding the Central Government – which under the spirit of Indian Constitution cannot be allowed!
What do you think?
Technorati : India, Kerala, Nuclear Deal
