Essay on Government of India: Meaning, Forms and Other Information’s

Essay on Government of India: Meaning, Forms and Other Information’s!

It’s meaning:

Sometimes confusion is made between state and Government and the two words are

used interchangeably. Government is an instrument of the state through which it carries

out its purposes. A state, as we have seen, is a politically organized and geographically

limited body of people that possesses the right to use force. It is an abstract entity and so

must have an instrument through which to operate. Government is such an instrument.

All the citizens of a state are not part of a government.

A government includes only those officials and persons who are appointed or elected to

determine, interpret and carry out the regulations of the state. Thus it has three main

organs-the legislative to determine the laws of the state, the executive to carry out these

laws and the judiciary to interpret them. The sole purpose of a government is to act as

the instrumentality of the state. Its powers and organization are defined by the basic law
called ‘constitution’ of the country.

Most states have now written constitutions. The Indian Constitution is the ultimate

basis for judging the legality of any law a legislative body enacts or any order an

executive body issues. The Supreme Court of India has the final power to determine
whether laws or executive orders are made in pursuance of the constitution.
It’s Forms:

Governments may take several forms. In history there have appeared many forms of

government. Aristotle had given a six fold classification of governments—three normal

and three perverted forms of government. The three normal types of government are

monarchy, rule by one person; aristocracy, rule by a few; polity, rule by many. If these

normal forms are perverted, monarchy becomes tyranny, aristocracy becomes oligarchy
and polity becomes democracy.

Thus Aristotle regarded democracy as the worst form of government, but he felt that the

potential capacity of the citizens for sound collective Judgement could assure the

success of this form. After Aristotle, numerous classifications of governments have been

proposed by political thinkers but as pointed by Garner, “There seems to be no single

principle, or criterion, Juridical or otherwise, upon which a satisfactory classification of

governments can be made.”

Today, our attention is drawn to two major forms: totalitarianism in which the control is

in the hands of one or a few persons; and democracy, in which political power is diffused

among the governed by the process of representation. The citizens in many states are in

a quandary as to which form they should adopt. Russia and China are the classic

instances of totalitarian form of government. Under totalitarianism, there is rigidly

patterned social organization.

It does not allow unrestricted or uncontrolled associations. It subjects all social

groupings to the designs of the state. Usually, questioning of the ideas and practices of

the rules is not tolerated. Freedom of expression by the press or individual is denied.
Obedience is the supreme law which is enforced by the use of police powers.
Democracy is founded upon the principle of popular sovereignty, i.e., ultimate power

resides in the citizens. An Important principle of democracy is that all citizens have

equal political privileges which only they can exercise and which they cannot transfer to
any other persons.

Another foundational principle is that rule of the majority shall prevail, this majority to

be expressed by the citizens either through direct voting or through their elected

representatives. A third principle is that citizens can vote the government out of office if
it loses their confidence.

Democracy is based upon two basic cultural values of equality and liberty. It has

attained a marked popularity in the world, yet it is often criticized for certain defects.

The first of these is that the citizens do not fully exercise their rights nor accept their

obligations. Voting is a paramount right of the citizens in a democracy, but the citizens
do not fully and honestly discharge their obligation to vote.

The percentage of the Indian citizens who fulfill this obligation ranges between 40 to 45

per cent. Moreover, voting is on the basis of caste and extraneous considerations.

Election campaigns instead of educating the voters become exercise in praising one’s

own side and condemning the other to the extreme. Voting is so quantitatively and

qualitatively poor that the whole process of democratic government becomes

jeopardized.

Another defect lies in leadership. Democracy can succeed only under able leaders who

are neither class conscious nor interest controlled. The leaders in a democracy indulge

in unscrupulous activities in order to come into power and remain in power once they
have got it. They are often faulty of unethical practices.
As a consequence, democracy attracts only those people who are unscrupulous or have

little knowledge for governmental careers. It is a serious defect of democracy that so

much of it is in the hands of poorly qualified persons in the art of government. Political

leaders in democracy must be of the people and not of any class, peasantry or industrial,
rural or urban. They should not be dominated by special interests.

James Bryce in his exhaustive study of modern democracies has given a

succinct summary of the working of democratic government:

(i) It has maintained public order while securing the liberty of the individual citizen:

(ii) It has given civil administration as efficient as other forms of government have
provided;

(iii) It has not been ungrateful or inconstant;

(iv) Its legislation has been directed to the welfare of the poorer classes than has been
that of other governments;

(v) It has been often wasteful and usually extra arrogant;

(vi) It has not produced general contentment in each nation;

(vii) It has not diminished class selfishness and has done little to improve international
relations and ensure peace;

(viii) It has not weakened patriotism or courage;

(ix) It has not extinguished corruption and the influence of wealth;

(x) It has not removed the fear of revolution;

(xi) It has not enlisted the services of the most honest and capable persons;

(xii) Nevertheless, it has, taken all in all, given better practical results than either the
Rule of one Man or the Rule of a class.

Political Parties:

Political parties have become necessary adjuncts of government in modern times. They

are the instruments whereby candidates are nominated and elected. Though they are

not official organisations created by the state, they are nevertheless, quasi-official in the

sense that states sanction, regulate and permit them to offer candidates for public office.

The ultimate aim of a political party is to capture political power and keep control of the
government.

The numbers of political parties in a state vary from one to many. England and the

United States have two-party system. The advantage of this system is its capacity to

present clearer cut issues and fewer candidates instead of a multiplicity of positions on
issues and a wide number of candidates.

The losing party in this system serves as an effective opposition. France is the instance

of a state with multiple party systems. Under a multiple party system governments
change rapidly. The voters are bewildered by a number of viewpoints presented and the
multiplicity of candidates they must assess.

Russia and China are the states with one party system. In Russia however, with the

disintegration of U.S.S.R. under the impact of Glasnost and Perestroika, the dictatorship

of the communist party has tumbled down and other political parties have made their

appearance on the political horizon. Germany and Italy were one party state under
Nazism and Fascism.
One party system does not allow any opposition or criticism of state policy. The party

leaders enjoy monopoly of power and it is difficult to remove them peaceably. India has
a multiple party system. Defections and counter-defections continue.

The political parties in India are ‘personality-centered’ than ‘policy centered’. More than

forty parties operate at the national and local levels. There is frequent competition and

factional conflict within the parties. Sometimes, inner cliques or “rings” develop. The

political party which acts as a link between the people and their government has become

the media for a politician to gain an occupation. The politician plays a very important

role in our whole system. There is a close nexus between politician, mafia and
bureaucrat.

The Election symbols (Reservation and Allotment) order, 1968 provides for recognition

of political parties for the purpose of specification, reservation, choice and allotment of

symbols for elections in parliamentary and assembly constituencies. Clause 6 of the

aforesaid order specifies the following conditions to be fulfilled by a political party

before it could be recognized by the election commission.

A political party shall be treated as a recognized political party in a state if, and only if,

either the conditions specified in Clause (A) or the conditions specified in Clause (B) are
fulfilled by that party and not otherwise, that is to say:

(A) Such party—

(a) Has been engaged in political activity for a continuous period of five years; and

(b) Has at the general elections in that state to the House of People, or as the case may

be, to the Legislative Assembly for the time being in existence and functioning, returned

either, (i) at least one member to the House of People for every twenty five members of
that House or any fraction of that number elected from that state; or (ii) at least one

member of the Legislative Assembly of that state for every thirty members of that
Assembly or any fraction of that number;

(B) That the total number of valid votes polled by all the contesting candidates set up by

such party at the general election in the state to the House of People, or as the case may

be, to the Legislative Assembly, for the time being in existence and functioning

(excluding the valid votes of each such contesting candidates in a constituency as has

not been elected and has not polled at least one-twelfth of the total number of valid

votes polled by all the contesting candidates on that constituency), is not less than four

percent of the total number of valid votes polled by the’ contesting candidates at such

general election in the state (including the valid votes of those candidates who have
forfeited their deposits).

A recognized political party has been classified either as a “national party” or a “state

party” in paragraph 7 of the order. If a political party is recognized in four or more

states, it is deemed to be a “national party” and a political party recognized in less than

four states is a “state party” in the state or states in which it is recognized as such. In all
eight parties are recognized as “national” and 28 at state level.

Voting:

Election or voting is a distinctive feature of a modern democratic policy. One of the main

functions of political parties is to contest elections. Their first function is to select

suitable candidates for party ticket and assist such candidates to win the elections.
Voting is the process of electing representatives to a body representing the people.

It is these elected representatives who in a democracy perform decision making

functions. For the successful working of any democracy, a healthy system of voting is a
sine qua non. The right to vote is a basic right guaranteed by the fundamental law of the
country. However, not every national is entitled to vote.

The minors, some categories of criminals and lunatics are usually excluded from the list

of voters. In some states, women are not given the right to vote. Some states impose

property and educational qualifications to limit franchise. However, universal adult

suffrage is recognized to be the most democratic system of franchise. In India every man
and woman of 18 years of age is entitled to be enrolled as a voter.

Voting Behaviour:

Voting behaviour depends upon several factors and differs from place to place.

Generally speaking, educated and urban population is seen more involved in elections

whereas the illiterate and rural population shows its apathy. Some voters are committed
to a particular party while some take decision at the time of election.

In India, voting behaviour has undergone tremendous change. Since independence, the

level of political awareness is constantly rising among all segments of population.

Political mobilisation is taking place at a faster speed in rural areas. There is only minor

difference in the turn-out rate between urban and rural areas. The level of identification

with political parties or leaders is increasing. The number of floating or uncommitted

votes is gradually decreasing.

Voting behaviour is affected by the following factors:

(i) Religion:

India since ancient days has been predominantly a country inhabited by different

religions. Despite the fact that the -Constitution declares India to be a secular state, no
political party including, the Congress (I) has ever ignored it.
The religious structure of a constituency is kept in mind while selecting the candidates

or begging votes. During election campaign the religious sentiments are exploited to the

maximum. Voters are attracted to the candidates belonging to their own religion. The
Ayodhya issue has been exploited by all the political parties for the politics of votes.

(ii) Caste:

Elections in India are contested very much on the basis of casteism. The voters are asked

to vote for their caste candidates and casteism is maintained by the elected leaders after

the elections are over, Political parties sponsor only that candidate from a particular
constituency whose caste is the most numerous in that area.

Inspite of their professions to the contrary, the Indian politicians including the political

tacticians of the Congress and the CPI give a great deal of attention to caste

considerations. While caste itself as a social institution is undergoing radical changes on

account of the influence of western education and the development of urban life, it

nevertheless, continues to play an important role in determining the choice of voters

from among the various candidates.

(iii) Community:

Community feeling is another factor influencing the voters. Community feelings had led

the Telugu people to demand separate state of Andhra; likewise hilly people in Uttar

Pradesh are asking for Uttrakhand state. The voters of a particular community say

Punjabi, vote for their community candidate not because he is the best but because he
belongs to their own community.

The candidates also make appeals in the name of community pointing out the injustices

being suffered by their community and take pledge to ameliorate their condition. All
politicians have been exploiting community sentiment since the first general elections in
India.

(iv) Class:

It is one of the factors influencing voting behaviour in the regions where the electorate is

mostly composed of voters belonging to working class. In big industrial towns like

Bombay. Ahmedabad and Kanpur a trade union leader wins election on the basis of
class considerations.

The workers aspire that their leader should be elected to fight their cause in the

legislature. A number of our legislators are persons who have at one time or other been
in the forefront of Trade Union movement.

(v) Money:

Money perhaps plays the greatest role during elections Crores of rupees are spent by the

political parties in their bid to capture political power. A lot of money is spent in election
campaign and helicopters are hired to reach the voters in far flung constituencies.

Big industrialists and business magnates contribute a lot of money for election funds.

Votes are purchased through payment in cash or kind. As a majority of voters are poor
people consisting of lower castes, they are easily swayed away by money.

(vi) Charisma:

The personality of the party leader also influences the choice of voters. Thus the

Congress won several elections in the name of Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi
campaigned for the congress during 1998 elections.

(vii) Accidental factors:

Sometimes some accidental factors like excesses during Emergency or the murder of
Rajiv Gandhi or a wave also influence the voters.

To conclude, voters in India seldom vote after objective assessment of the comparative

merits of various candidates or scientific analysis of the election manifestoes; they are

mostly influenced in their choice by non-rational factors like those of religion, caste and
community etc.

Pressure Groups:

Pressure groups play a vital role in the process of government. A pressure group is an

interest group which seeks to promote the interests of its members through external

inducement. It is not a political group seeking to capture political power, though it may

possess a political character for the sake of expediency. A pressure group is generally an

association of persons with a common economic interest who try to influence

governmental action in legislation, administrative procedures or judicial decisions.

The Chamber of Commerce, the Trade Unions, the Scheduled Caste Federation, Kissan

Sammelan are instances of pressure groups. They come into being to make the

government responsive to the interests of groups of citizens. In the Indian political

system, pressure groups play conspicuous part in the political process as a whole. Their
role in elections is conspicuous.

At different levels of electoral process in nomination, canvassing and campaigning these

groups take cudgels on behalf of their favourites and get them a coveted place in the

legislature and later in the cabinet. They have a sizeable block of voters in their pockets

and also contribute to the financial sinews of the party concerned. The members elected

with the support of a pressure group are compelled to do their biddings with far greater
strength than the biddings of their party.
The pressure groups make use of all their resources and persuasive forms to procure

political decisions and administrative actions of their choice. They also influence public

opinion through mass media at their disposal. In a democracy their role is greater than

in a totalitarian government. The party in power in a totalitarian political system does

not recognize the existence of such particularistic entities and even regards their

emergence as anathema.