Doing away with the idea of exclusivity

The phenomenon of empowering those segments of society which are essential for making societies more productive came with democracy. It is through the institutions of democracy that more people were brought into the stream of production.

It is a matter of some satisfaction that our Republic, which is 58 years old, has acquired inner strength for introspection, and is in the process through the media, Parliament and social debate. We are now reexamining if the process of democracy is not just the right to vote but of inclusiveness too.

This process has many impediments—some are historical, cultural and importantly, gender though the post-Industrial Revolution particularly felt the need to bring women into the productive circuit. A new impediment is the idea of exclusivity: those who have entered the empowered circle do not want more to come in.

Since growth and development in our societies is uneven, state-wise and in regions, we see more social experiments today than ever before. And the latest experiment is the concept of coalition governments, which have come to eradicate this unevenness in the country.

Coalition governments are an effort for inclusiveness so that those regions and segments of society, whose presence in legislature is small, get an opportunity to participate in governments. While many cynically point out to the absurdity of two-member parties, I look at this trend positively as it is an attempt to eradicate this unevenness.

Therefore, to accelerate this process of inclusiveness, there are certain programmes and agendas which need urgent attention—reforms in judicial institutions, and of the electoral process. The twin process will also take care of the eradication of illiteracy, as a part of the reform process, and I wholeheartedly support it.

Similarly, another extension is the right to information and the introduction of e-governance. This is crucial for land reform. I would also say at the same time that I have the honour of introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. I faced opposition from both sides of the House. This resistance continues to be an expression of a medieval outlook and, therefore, needs an urgent push.

It must be said that in this new phenomena of realignments, the role of the middle-class, particularly the urban middle class, has been positive because the urban middle class is a product of the Industrial Revolution and its march.

Democracy as an institution is meant to pursue the process of empowerment of those who are denied their rights, all the time. However, disempowerment in the name of history, culture, caste or gender is not confined to India alone, even countries in Europe and South America are still giving the right to vote. In West Asia and the Islamic world, large populations still do not participate in the empowerment process.

In our case, the Indian Parliament and legislatures make rules to identify those taboos and practices that impede participation in democracy and empowerment. In our context, the transfer of power is our empowerment, which was achieved through property rights. This is why the Indian freedom struggle had focussed on land reforms. However, the process has only been partially implemented, which is why we see some states more democratic, and in those which have refused to reform, backwardness is loud.

Today, we are discovering our faults in the process of empowerment. And those who are deprived come out louder and more assertive with every election.

In an ideal society, only governments alone cannot accomplish this progress, it requires a re-education of society. Fortunately, the emphasis on the importance of a scientific temper is a concept which is entrenched in our society, from Buddha to Gandhi. It is also the reason why the concept of a scientific temper has found a place in our Constitution. Scientific temper basically means the courage to be self-critical. And that is why we need universal literacy and adult franchise because these would help us in understanding social stigmas and social realities.

I would, therefore, conclude by saying that in these 58 years, we have covered a good part of our journey for the empowerment process but much remains to be done. It would be wrong to blame one government or another for the shortfalls because programmes are socially-oriented.