Monday, April 22, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Coalition Politics In India More Than Fighting Election And Sharing Power
By Promod Puri
Politics of coalition has been the norm in India for the last over two decades.
So far, this has been essentially an alluring and opportunist wangling when political parties form coalitions with the sole intent of sharing power. United Fronts of Left and Right, Centre-left and Centre-right, or a mix of all is the reality of India’s vibrant, dirty and still maturing democracy.
In recent years, especially after the near-fatal downfall of the once mighty Centre-left Indian National Congress in the last 2014 election, and the sharp emergence of the Centre-right Hindu religious-leaning Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the inevitable coalition politics of the country can and should be more relevant for the diverse Indian society than just political maneuvering and horse trading.
Coalition alignments of multi-parties in multi-dimensional societies need more spaces, adaptations, and adjustments compared to the governance of monolithic populations to conform to the order of manageable and functional democracy.
Traditionally, India has been a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious and geographically diverse country.
For that reason, democracy in this nation of over a billion people (1,350,438,098) can only be covered by a multiplicity of political parties catering to its diverse masses rather than two or three parties as the case in most culturally, linguistically and religiously homogeneous countries.
In India’s heterogeneity, coalition politics is the innate necessity as a result of its accepted and reasonably functional multi-party system.
It is in this coalition of diversities that the regional parties are obligated to meet the needs and distinct cultural, linguistic and religious values of their peoples rather than just filling the numbers to have a piece of pie in their hunger for power.
Since the overall composition and spirit of national alliances depend upon its constituent partners, a challenge to the Indian democracy lies in how it accommodates a multiplicity of regional demands, issues, and identities. For example, immigration, minorities’ rights, and job or educational reservations are the matters which demand regional understanding, concerns, and sentiments.
Consequently, the regional parties of India can be more assertive in their distinct provincial responsibilities and commitments while extending their support for the existing two national parties, the BJP, and the Congress.
The BJP leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is led by the Congress Party.
The NDA was formed by the BJP in 1998, and since 2015 it has 37 member parties. Except for the BJP, most of the constituents of the NDA are all regional parties representing the various states of the country. It is the ruling front since the last general election.
The UPA is a center-left fluctuating union of around 30 parties. Except for the Congress Party, most of its membership belongs to the regional parties as well.
Besides the BJP-led and the Congress-led national fronts, a third alternative has recently emerged. It is presented as Mahagathabandhan, which is an alliance of Centre-left opposition groups of 15 parties with secular fundamentals unlike the claims of the BJP and even the Congress Party.
Except for the All India Trinamool Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (recognized as national parties by the Election Commission of India), the Mahagathabandhan can be viewed as an assemblage of regional parties. And that gives a different flare to the coalition system of India’s democratic outlook as there is practically no dominance of a major national party in this BJP and Congress free political bloc.
The ‘gathabandhan’ is basically a union of ideologically-related constituents unlike that of BJP-Akali Dal in Punjab or now dissolved BJP-PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the absence of a dominating national party, whose leader often holds dictatorial powers, the regional ‘gathabandhan’ or alliance can be more autonomous and democratic in its entity and operation than the BJP-led and the Congress-led alliances.
The almost monocratic aspects of Indira Gandhi and later Sonia Gandhi of the Congress Party, and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi are the known realities of disregard and even abuse of democracy in India.
In that respect, the Gathabandhan is a positive new feature of coalition politics of the country which can offer the true spirit of democratic functioning as there is little chance of emergence of dictatorial dominance in this arrangement.
The wheels of democracy can only move when these are not stalled by the authoritarian controls of national parties’ leadership. Otherwise, it is an autocratic functioning within a shell of so-called democracy.
The unity of India lies in its diversity. And that diversity can only be safeguarded when its politics of coalition is not impacted by autocratic behavior of any single party leadership.
-30-
Promod Puri is a journalist, writer and author of Hinduism Beyond Rituals, Customs, And Traditions. Websites: promodpuri.com, progressivehindudialogue.com, and promodpuri.blogspot.com
Politics of coalition has been the norm in India for the last over two decades.
So far, this has been essentially an alluring and opportunist wangling when political parties form coalitions with the sole intent of sharing power. United Fronts of Left and Right, Centre-left and Centre-right, or a mix of all is the reality of India’s vibrant, dirty and still maturing democracy.
In recent years, especially after the near-fatal downfall of the once mighty Centre-left Indian National Congress in the last 2014 election, and the sharp emergence of the Centre-right Hindu religious-leaning Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the inevitable coalition politics of the country can and should be more relevant for the diverse Indian society than just political maneuvering and horse trading.
Coalition alignments of multi-parties in multi-dimensional societies need more spaces, adaptations, and adjustments compared to the governance of monolithic populations to conform to the order of manageable and functional democracy.
Traditionally, India has been a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious and geographically diverse country.
For that reason, democracy in this nation of over a billion people (1,350,438,098) can only be covered by a multiplicity of political parties catering to its diverse masses rather than two or three parties as the case in most culturally, linguistically and religiously homogeneous countries.
In India’s heterogeneity, coalition politics is the innate necessity as a result of its accepted and reasonably functional multi-party system.
It is in this coalition of diversities that the regional parties are obligated to meet the needs and distinct cultural, linguistic and religious values of their peoples rather than just filling the numbers to have a piece of pie in their hunger for power.
Since the overall composition and spirit of national alliances depend upon its constituent partners, a challenge to the Indian democracy lies in how it accommodates a multiplicity of regional demands, issues, and identities. For example, immigration, minorities’ rights, and job or educational reservations are the matters which demand regional understanding, concerns, and sentiments.
Consequently, the regional parties of India can be more assertive in their distinct provincial responsibilities and commitments while extending their support for the existing two national parties, the BJP, and the Congress.
The BJP leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is led by the Congress Party.
The NDA was formed by the BJP in 1998, and since 2015 it has 37 member parties. Except for the BJP, most of the constituents of the NDA are all regional parties representing the various states of the country. It is the ruling front since the last general election.
The UPA is a center-left fluctuating union of around 30 parties. Except for the Congress Party, most of its membership belongs to the regional parties as well.
Besides the BJP-led and the Congress-led national fronts, a third alternative has recently emerged. It is presented as Mahagathabandhan, which is an alliance of Centre-left opposition groups of 15 parties with secular fundamentals unlike the claims of the BJP and even the Congress Party.
Except for the All India Trinamool Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (recognized as national parties by the Election Commission of India), the Mahagathabandhan can be viewed as an assemblage of regional parties. And that gives a different flare to the coalition system of India’s democratic outlook as there is practically no dominance of a major national party in this BJP and Congress free political bloc.
The ‘gathabandhan’ is basically a union of ideologically-related constituents unlike that of BJP-Akali Dal in Punjab or now dissolved BJP-PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the absence of a dominating national party, whose leader often holds dictatorial powers, the regional ‘gathabandhan’ or alliance can be more autonomous and democratic in its entity and operation than the BJP-led and the Congress-led alliances.
The almost monocratic aspects of Indira Gandhi and later Sonia Gandhi of the Congress Party, and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi are the known realities of disregard and even abuse of democracy in India.
In that respect, the Gathabandhan is a positive new feature of coalition politics of the country which can offer the true spirit of democratic functioning as there is little chance of emergence of dictatorial dominance in this arrangement.
The wheels of democracy can only move when these are not stalled by the authoritarian controls of national parties’ leadership. Otherwise, it is an autocratic functioning within a shell of so-called democracy.
The unity of India lies in its diversity. And that diversity can only be safeguarded when its politics of coalition is not impacted by autocratic behavior of any single party leadership.
-30-
Promod Puri is a journalist, writer and author of Hinduism Beyond Rituals, Customs, And Traditions. Websites: promodpuri.com, progressivehindudialogue.com, and promodpuri.blogspot.com
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Reform In World Religions
An integrated approach is needed to reform most of the world religions in which all the sciences and disciplines like physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, etc., etc. along with computer sciences help in the ethical and rational understanding of religious orders including their cleansing. This review is now due.
-Promod Puri
Monday, March 25, 2019
MULLER REPORT SPARES THE BIG ONE
By Promod Puri
The Hindi phrase “khoda pahar nikla chuha (dug the mountain, got out a rat) or the English equivalent: much ado about nothing, is the essence of Robert Mueller’s partially-released report.
However, in this case instead catch of one single big rat, the two-year-long digging did find lot more casualties, 34 of them in all, much to the disappointment of many who were expecting an explosive closure.
It all began when Donald Trump was accused that he along with his election team conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 US presidential poll.
The high-profile investigation which involved many lawyers and dozens of FBI agents incurred an expense of over $30 million.
President Trump all along claimed that he was innocent and that he was being witch-hunted by his opponents. Nonetheless, the Mueller report did result in indictments of many of his lieutenants.
They included Robert Stone (former Trump advisor), Michael Cohen (former trump attorney), Paul Manafort (former campaign chair), George Papadopoulos (former campaign aide), Michael Flynn (former national security advisor, Konstantin Kilimnik (alleged Russian spy), etc., etc.
While the curtains are finally down for the Mueller-directed political drama, Trumps stands tall, happy, golfing and continues delighting and distracting the world with his daily treats of tweets.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
DAVID SIDOO, A SACRIFICIAL LAMB
It is a case of compromising with ethics and risking his own reputation for the sake of securing a good future for his sons.
This could be a sacrifice for the kids, but the laws are blind when decorated businessman and celebrated donor to the University of British Columbia, David Sidoo was arrested in the United States last Friday.
The alleged charge is that Sidoo paid $100,000 in 2011 to have one individual to take the qualifying test in place of his older son for admission to a California University. The scheme worked, and the son got the required marks to the admission.
In another US Justice Dept. indictment, Sidoo paid $100,000 for his younger son to obtain the qualifying score in the US universities.
These are all allegations, with the presumption of his being innocent.
The case confronts with the situation where morality or ethically-wrong- doing poses a dilemma for the father who likes any other parent would do anything for their kids’ future.
But since he is caught, the long arms of the laws have made David Sidoo, a sacrificial lamb.
-by Promod Puri
Monday, March 11, 2019
Changing World Needs Changing World Orders
Many rituals, customs, and traditions related to our religions need a review for their practicality in our ever-changing world culture.
Moreover, in progressive development, the call of humanity seeks to re-evaluate each of our religions, rituals, customs, traditions, social and political institutions, including Left and Right isms, which impart values and behaviors impacting our societies.
This resolution is part of the evolution and management of civil society we live in. Evolution of civilization is natural as well as essential for the rational and intelligent creation of environments influencing our lives.
The contemporary world society needs Neologism.
Neologism means to introduce a new word or new senses of existing words. In its expanded definition neologism also involves “a new doctrine, especially a new interpretation of sacred writings”, according to the Dictionary.com.
-By Promod Puri
Sunday, March 10, 2019
NO BASIS WHY INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT DIVIDED 72 YRS AGO
Flip the coin and on one side India and Pakistan seem to be combating with each other forever. On the other side, they are sharing the same bread of common roots, common cultures, languages, and traditions.
This love and hate relationship between the two neighbors is both as a result of natural and historic bonding between the peoples of the two countries. At the same time, there is the hostility generated by militancy from Pakistan and India’s dithering stand in resolving the Kashmir problem.
In 1947 when the British colonial rulers left the Indian subcontinent Pakistan was established. It was on the basis that the Muslims population would have their own country. This was done by simply drawing a distorted boundary line along the north-western part of united India. A similar line was drawn in the northeastern part. Thus a geographically unique nation of Pakistan, with miles apart east and west regions, was constituted.
The partition of United India in practically three regions saw one of the worst communal riots. In this abrupt war of hatred, hundreds of thousands of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs were killed. Millions faced unprecedented miseries as a result of sudden uprooting of people from their ancestral homes and lands.
In that bloody anarchy, however, Pakistan got its Muslim majority.
But the genesis of Pakistan based on one religion could not represent the diversity within its Muslim population. Different languages, different cultures, along with different sects within Islam were part of the reality of Pakistan as well. The result East Pakistan was completely scratched out from the map. And a new nation of Bangladesh was born. This was a negation to the perception that a common religion would hold the nation together irrespective of its cultural, linguistic and ethnic pluralities.
In this context, one wonders why the subcontinent was divided in the first place. If carving a Muslim state was the main reason to establish Pakistan then it did not take in its fold all the Muslims in united India. Nor it could address the regional and diverse cultural and linguistic aspirations of its people. Urdu or Hindusthani speaking migrants settled in the Sind and Punjab provinces of Pakistan felt alienated.
Moreover, the division of the sub-continent generated a never-ending hostility between India and Pakistan which is dominated by the Kashmir problem.
By Promod Puri https://promodpuri.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
