India shall complete the seventy-sixth year of its independence from British colonial rule in a couple of weeks. The nation has progressed materially on various fronts in these years. However, the direction of progress has not been on the most desirable path.
Of course, coming from much behind, India has joined the world’s leading economies in terms of the size of GDP. The development of physical infrastructure has been remarkable in the past couple of decades. India has attained strong positions in the areas like IT services, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, etc.
However, the development of social parameters has not gathered the desired momentum. The regional and household disparities have remained wide and deep. Income and wealth inequalities have continued to widen despite a strong affirmative action plan in terms of reservation in education and government jobs for the backward castes and communities. The constitutional guarantee of “Equal Rights” is far from fully implemented. There is a perceptible lack of equality in access to credit, information, professional opportunities, etc.
The problem well highlighted
In fact, the regional socio-economic disparities and cultural differences are well highlighted. These are popular ingredients of any political and cultural marketing campaign in India. However, the awareness of the differences that exist at the state level is relatively poor.
To a person sitting in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, or Hyderabad, the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) may not mean much more than – the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kebab, taxi drivers, and construction labor. Very few residents of the western and southern states appreciate that UP is as diverse as India itself. Various regions of the state, i.e., Awadh, Brij, Rohillkhand, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, and Doab, have distinctly identifiable histories, food, dialect, customs, deities, and problems.
People from Bundelkhand and Doab regions in particular have been agitating for a different political identity for themselves for a long time. The regions also differ in terms of caste, community, and religious dynamics. Differences in terms of weather, water and electricity availability, crop patterns, flood-draught cycle, political influence, urbanization, physical infrastructure, income disparities, and other social indicators are also rather stark. The same holds true for many other states also.
Unjustifiable socio-economic disparities amongst various states and regions within states, materially different socio-economic status of various castes and communities in different states, have frequently led to demands and agitations for new administrative units (states and districts).
The legislatures have been mostly unsuccessful in developing and adopting a consensus framework for a federal structure of the country (Though some attempts like Sarkaria Commission have been made). Certainly, there has been a marked improvement in state-center relationships in the past 25 years, but this could be more due to political compulsions rather than any structural change. This has been the period when regional parties have played a critical role in government formation at the center. The strains in center-state relations reemerged as soon as a single-party government got installed at the center in 2014.
It would therefore not be unreasonable to say that the post-independence political organization of the country designed primarily on a lingual basis may no longer be relevant in the current context.
Moreover, the tradition to appoint by nomination rather than purely on the basis of election has killed meritocracy in politics and promoted inequality. Despite all claims of a robust, vibrant, and functional democracy, the political system in India appears to be working in a quasi-feudal style
The political problem, therefore, is to develop a political organization that fully assimilates the aspirations of the people, addresses specific local problems, promotes mutual trust & harmony, bars incompetence and knavery from public office, and ensures that the best is selected and prepared to rule for the common good.
A utopian solution
I may now present the broader contours of my utopian socio-political structure. Some may want to draw prima facie similarities with the Communist State. But trust me it has nothing to do with a Leninist, Maoist or even Marxist state. My utopian structure does allow equal opportunity to all, but through "democratic election" and not by "arbitrary nomination". Moreover, commitment to community (communism), culture (religion & traditions), and reverence for Mother Nature (sustainability) are the core and non-negotiable elements for me, whereas in a communist state, these are mostly redundant.
It is pertinent to mention that I am only proposing a broad concept based on the principle of equal opportunity, and full devolution of power to the local administration to address regional peculiarities and aspirations. A larger debate may be needed to bring out a workable detailed constitutional framework from this broader framework.
The primary governance unit — Local Council
(a) The primary unit of the country should be a democratic assembly of people in a town or village (Town or village council).
(b) Each town or village should directly elect a suitable number of representatives on a periodic basis. The winning candidate must win at least 51% of the eligible votes (not just the votes cast).
(c) Every adult citizen domiciled in that town/village for at least 10 years, should have an equal opportunity to get elected for a term of 3 years. No person shall be elected for more than 3 terms.
(d) Election expense of all candidates who could show support of at least 10% of eligible voters should be funded by the state. Other candidates may be required to fund their own expenses. The spending limit may be fixed, say Rs10, per eligible voter in the constituency. All expenses should be paid through the designated State office only.
(e) The performance of each Local Council member should be evaluated on an annual basis by an independent agency. A member failing to score the passing grade should be barred from politics for a period of 6yrs.
(f) The Chairperson of the Local Council should be elected by the members elected by the public, through a secret ballot. The winning candidate must have a minimum of 51% of elected Council members supporting him/her. Each such Chairperson should constitute an advisory board of local experts to advise him on governance matters. Members of the advisory board should not be paid any remuneration or be accorded any privileges or entitlements.
(g) Primary health, education, civil infrastructure, scientific research, art, culture, law & order, affirmative action (reservations etc.) may be governed exclusively by the Local Council.
(h) All citizens are accorded a right to uniform education and primary health services, to be implemented by the Local Councils. Private, for-profit, investment is allowed only in technical education, and specialized health services.
The secondary governance unit — District Council
(a) Towns and villages with largely homogeneous demographic characteristics should be grouped in various Districts. Each District should have an independent governing council. All such District Councils should be empowered to impose & collect direct taxes and indirect taxes on intra-district trade; frame rules for engagement with other District Councils in the country, including exploitation & sharing of natural resources; movement of labor & capital etc.
(b) Local Councils falling within a District should elect from amongst their present and past members, who have served at least 2 complete terms to such local council, to the District Council.
(c) The number of members representing each Local Council should be in proportion to the population, area, and social indicators of each such Local Council. Areas with stronger social indicators get to elect a few extra members. This should promote healthy competition amongst Local Councils to improve the social indicators.
(d) The district council should have a fixed term of 6 years, with half the members retiring by rotation every 3 years. No member should be elected to the District Council more than once.
(e) The performance of each district council member should be evaluated on an annual basis by an independent agency. A member failing to score the passing grade should be barred from politics for a minimum period of 10yrs.
(f) The Chairperson of the District Council should be elected by the representatives elected by Local Councils, through a transparent secret ballot. The winning candidate must secure a minimum of 51% of elected representative members supporting him/her.
(g) Each such Chairperson should constitute an advisory board of experts to advise him on governance matters. Members of the advisory board should not be paid any remuneration or be accorded any privileges or entitlements.
(h) District council should fund the affairs of each local council falling within its jurisdiction.
The third tier — National Council
(a) Each District Council should elect members to the National Council, in proportion to population, area, and social indicators.
(b) Districts Councils should elect from their best-performing past and present members who have served at least one complete term on the District Council.
(c) The Chairperson of the National Council should be elected through a secret ballot. The winning candidate must secure a minimum of 51% of elected representative members supporting him/her.
(d) Each such Chairperson should constitute an advisory board of experts to advise him on governance matters. Members of the advisory board should not be paid any remuneration or be accorded any privileges or entitlements.
(e) The National Council shall deal only with common matters of national interests, such as foreign relations & trade, national defense, rivers, highways, national power grid, taxes on inter-district trade, space missions, natural disaster relief, etc.
…to continue next week
Also read
Battle Ground 2024 - Forces are aligned
Battle Ground 2024 - The Narrative and Rhetoric
Battle Ground 2024 – The Problems
Battle Ground 2024 – In search of solutions
Battle Ground 2024 – Political solutions
