Editorial:
Choosing our
law-makers
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Elections take place in five stages in April and May to the 15th Lok Sabha, the Lower and the Popular House of the Indian Parliament. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in power till 2004. It was succeeded by the Government of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by the Congress Party. Since 1989 coalition governments have come to stay at the Centre. The All India parties are slowly but surely losing strength; the main parties in these category are the Congress, the BJP, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India - Marxists (CPI-M). National Congress (NC), the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Janata Dal (United) also claim to be functioning in more than one state. The Bahujan Samaj and Samajwadi Party seek to spread their influence beyond Uttar Pradesh, so also the Rashtriya Janata Dal attempts to have its hold in other states besides Bihar. But the history of these parties indicates that they are popular in one or two regions.
Coalition governments at the Centre depend upon state parties. For example no All India Party can venture to stand alone in Tamil Nadu. They have to align either with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) or All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to register their victory. The Dravidian tradition is marked by salutary tendencies. Its democratic experience dates back to the days of dyarchy that gave scope for a partially responsible government. Its steadfast adherence to linguistic rights and equality has a history of struggle and sacrifice from 1938 onwards when Hindi was sought to be imposed on the students of the then Composite Madras State.
The very genesis of Dravidian Movement in the form of South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice Party) is based on the principle of Social Justice and the need for upholding communal representation or implementing the programme of reservation to benefit the disadvantaged sections of the society. The Dravidian ethos is also wedded to State autonomy and federalism to promote unity. Above all it is basically secular.
Now all these healthy characteristics are convincingly and consistently followed by DMK, headed by the Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi, a sagacious statesman. The strategy that he worked out was mainly instrumental to form a secular UPA government at the centre, led by the Congress Party under the able presidentship of Ms. Sonia Gandhi. It has scrupulously upheld secularism during its rule in the past five years (2004-2009). It has implemented laudable welfare measures like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. It has passed the Right to Information Act that promotes transparency in administration.
The UPA government has enacted a law enabling women to have the right of inheritance. It has also passed a law to punish domestic violence against women. It has undertaken various developmental programmes, particularly the implementation of the infrastructure projects. By providing 27% reservation for the backward classed in Union government higher educational institutions, it has upheld the principle of Social Justice and the policy of Affirmative Action.
The Congress and the DMK have all along steadfastly stood for democracy and secularism. The DMK as a party maintains strictly internal democracy that is worth emulating by other parties in India. As opposed to Congress, the BJP aspires to come to power at the centre with the help of Shiv Sena and a few other state parties. The BJP and other Sang Parivar outfits are responsible for the demolition of Babri Msjid, a historic monument. It led to the fire of communal riots to rage across the country. Thousands of people died. The BJP government in Gujarat under Narendra Modi was responsible for the killing of around 2000 Muslims in Feb-March 2002 after post Godhra tragedy. The Sangh Parivar’s hatred against Christians is often manifested in Orissa as well as Karnataka. Even now they speak about building Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the place where Babri Masjid stood. So the citizens who stand for secular democracy and progress with stability and peace have definitely no other choice than once again exercise their franchise in favour of the UPA and enable it to come to power at the Centre.
