Democracy is the rule of demagogues, felt famous Greek thinker Plato. If one is to describe today’s Indian politics, there is no other option but to repeat the observations made by Plato.
There is no denying that demagogues are destroying democracy in the country like termites. Just to grab power, they are flouting all norms of democracy. They are not providing equal justice to every citizen, which is the primary requisite of any successful democracy, but making false promises like loan waiver and providing jobs to everyone, etc.
Making false promises for the sake of grabbing power is not a new phenomenon in Indian politics. Our leaders have been indulging in such practices since our country became a republic. Over the years, the disease has turned into an epidemic. So much so that now our leaders are not afraid of promising even the moon, taking advantage of large-scale illiteracy in the country.
If we look carefully, at least 90 percent of these promises are absurd. Some promises are so ridiculous that if implemented, those will ruin the very foundation of the country. But our leaders seem to be uncompromising in this regard. Take the example of renaming some of the places in Telangana, the promises made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during campaigning in the state prior to the assembly elections. Everyone knew even before a single vote was cast in Telangana that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not come to power in the state as the party has only token presence there. Yet the UP Chief Minister went ahead to make such promises with an eye to divide the electorate of Telangana. As exceptions prove the rule, Yogi is not alone in going against the secular credentials of the country. BJP has made no secret that its main aim is to build a Ram Temple at Ayodhaya. If making such promises during campaigning is a crime, the Election Commission is the competent body to take action against the offenders. But what about those who take vows in the name of secularism and make temple visit as a part of their campaign? The Election Commission will have to take a look at this aspect too as it affects the concept of secularism.
Similarly, promises such as farm loan waiver can prove to be a death knell for the country’s economy. If a government decides to do so, nothing can stop it as it has been entrusted to manage the economy. It can be assumed that it has taken such a decision considering the strength and weaknesses of the economy. But if a party promises loan waiver during its campaign, that can’t be supported. This should be termed as the crudest way to attract the votes of the farming community. The parties out of power, these days often make such promises considering it as a useful tool to grab power. This trend should be stopped. Besides, loan waiver is not the remedy for farm crisis. There are many other methods to tackle the issue and one of them is proper irrigation system. But has anyone heard our leaders promising to give priority to irrigation?
This is why today Indian democracy is totally under the control of demagogues. We will have to get rid of them.
