Indian Democracy
1. Parliamentary System (Lok Sabha)
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prime minister (head of government) elected by majority of
parliament
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President (head of state, ceremonial) elected by electoral
college of members of lower house of parliament and state legislatures
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Parliament divided into single member districts
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historically has strengthened the Congress Party
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vigorous elections, high turnout
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many parties, esp. regional
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regional parties can win in a region
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if enough win, the Congress party can loose
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independent judiciary
2. Party system:
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for many decades, 1 Party Dominant (Congress party)
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by now, Congress has lost its majority several times and
has allowed opposition and multi-party coalitions to form government.
By now, India has a multi-party system.
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Non-Congress governments:
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1977-80 Moraji Desai, Charan Singh,
Janata Party
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1989-91 V.LP. Singh, Chandra Shekar,
Janata Dal Party
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1996 Deve Gowda
-- United Front coalition
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1997 Deve Gowda, Inder
Kumar Gujral -- United Front Coalition
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1999 Atal Behari Vajpayee
-- Bharatiya Janata Party BJP (party
distribution)
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2004
Congress coalition wins -- Manmohan Singh (not Sonia Gandhi) PM
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Transition to multi-party system is reasonably complete by
now
3. Federal System
states have elections
Prime minister can dismiss a state governor and impose
direct rule
4. No military regime
partial exception: "emergency" 1975-77
5. Strong bureaucracy
British Colonial Indian Civil Service ICS
transformed to become Indian Administrative Service IAS
Weaknesses as a democracy
1. Family Dynasty:
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1. Jawarhalal Nehru 1947-1964
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2. Indira Gandhi (daughter), 1966-77, 1980-84
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Sanjay Gandhi (1946-80) (killed in airplane crash)
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3a. Rajiv Gandhi (son) - PM 1984-89
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3b. Sonia Gandhi (2004 - Rajiv's Italian Widow, leader of
Congress Party but not Prime Minister)
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4? She has a son and a daughter, Priyanka Vadra and Rahul
Gandhi.
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Maneka Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi's widow, elected 2004 to Lok
Sabah
2. Assassination
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Mahatma Gandhi, 1947 (Hindu extremist)
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Indira Gandhi, 1984 (Sikh)
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Rajiv Gandhi, 1991 (Tamils)
3. Extensive Corruption, underground (black) economy, two
sets of books, two currencies
4. Patron client system prevents political expression
of class-based interests.
The poor to not unite, they do what the rich ask them
to do
5. Persistent Social Problems:
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poverty (particularly rural, children, probably scheduled
castes) 46%
clinically mal-nourished
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rural violence, class and gender (wife
beating/killing) stove
fires
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identity politics: resurgent Hindu nationalism, RSS party,
and Muslims, with several potential "flash points"
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state support of Hindu religion
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build temples
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education policy, including Hinduism
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language policy
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Will identity politics (linked to religion, ethnicity) intensify
as global economic polarization (rich get richer, poor get poorer) intensifies?
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corruption
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AIDS
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