Violence in Politics: A Threat to Indian Democracy
The moral decline observed in the politics of independent India can be described in various ways. From a societal perspective, the character of society is shaped by those entering politics, while from a political standpoint, the character of politics is influenced by society. However, the Indian perspective suggests that 'As is the king, so are the subjects,' implying that individuals entering politics will attempt to mold society accordingly.
India is the world’s largest parliamentary democracy and here the key to change power is in the hands of the people every five years. This means that the king rises from among the people and not from the womb of a queen. But the way nepotism is dominant in Indian politics has posed a challenge to the democratic system itself because the politicians who carry on the legacy of the family argue that when the son of a doctor can be a doctor and the son of an engineer can be an engineer, then why can't the son of a politician be a politician, whereas in democracy, the people themselves elect the person carrying on the legacy of a political family by majority and send him to the Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha. We often hear such arguments from those leaders who are leaders of specific castes, that is, who are in charge of casteist parties.
Due to this caste-based political system, Indian democracy turns into a monarchy in which the common people start considering themselves blessed just by seeing the face of the king and forget that the right to one vote is such a blessing of the world, by using which he can himself become a king. Fortunately, the Prime Minister of India today is a person who used to sell tea in his childhood. Shri Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister is the reality of Indian democracy which the nepotistic parties are unable to digest. But today the real question is the moral degradation in politics. The degradation has reached such an extent that the ministers themselves are beating up government officials and making them bleed. The minister who is elected by the people is using his hands instead of his pen.
In Himachal Pradesh, a police report has been filed against Minister Anirudh Singh that he beat up two officers of the National Highway Authority, one of whom is still admitted in the hospital. Mr. Achal Jindal, the manager of a road project of the authority, has filed a report against the minister that Mr. Anirudh Singh, enraged at the collapse of a house built along the road project in his constituency, beat him as well as Yogesh Verma, a 27-year-old engineer of the area, and injured both of them badly. The second incident is from Odisha where some political workers barged into the office of State Civil Services officer Mr. Ratnakar Sahu, dragged him out of the office and beat him badly. This incident is from Bhubaneswar. Officer Ratnakar Sahu holds the post of Additional Commissioner in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. This act was done by BJP workers, while the minister Anirudh Singh against whom a police report was filed in Shimla belongs to the Congress party. There is no place for violence in Indian politics because no political party that boasts of adopting violent methods can participate in elections. Mr. Sahu lodged a complaint against six unknown people in the police station in which it is said that these people asked him whether he apologized to BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan or not. Pradhan is a leader of Bhubaneswar BJP. Both the above incidents show that people with violent tendencies are increasing in politics and they are even becoming ministers. At the time when Mr. Sahu was dragged out of the office, he was listening to the complaints of common people.
What message do political workers want to give by carrying out such incidents in front of the general public? The real message is that politics is becoming a refuge for hooligans. Western thinkers can be quoted in this regard. This type of violent political tendency has to be stopped in India because government officials are also a pillar of our democracy. It is through them that the elected representatives get the work of development and progress done. The executive of Indian democracy is a strong pillar which does its work only after taking oath on the Constitution. But this pillar is often made a victim of petty politics and politicians forcefully insist on implementing their arbitrary decisions through it. This has a direct impact on the society and its character also gets moulded in this mold. Whereas in democratic politics, decency is its jewel. The life of any person who enters the public life of politics becomes an open book. This is so that the public can take inspiration from the lives of politicians and a civilized and cultured society can be built. This was the vision of Mahatma Gandhi. Therefore, it is very important that we do not let people with violent tendencies move forward in politics, but due to casteist and family-based politics, this task is becoming difficult.