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Abstract
The twentieth century has witnessed a tremendous reinforcement of the concept of democracy. In a period of about one hundred years, the virtues of democracy have been greatly extolled and the world has witnessed a process of democratization. In the sixty years since its inception, Indian democracy too has developed indigenous roots and is emerging as a unique example of parliamentary democracy. The important question today is not the survival of Indian democracy, but the nature of India’s democratic politics.
The present volume is an attempt to understand the development of democratic polity in India. It covers a wide range of issues – theoretical concepts, political institutions, federalism, electoral process, individual and group rights and mass media – drawing attention to the significant broadening of Indian democracy. But the benefits of political democracy are yet to reach the masses – political institutions are dominated by the elite, civil society has been politicized and the interventionist state has become an arm of the elite. The solution to these problems lies in further democratization of the political process.
‘Indian Democracy’ is an attempt to understand the development of democratic polity in India. It covers a wide range of issues – theoretical concepts, political institutions, federalism, electoral process, individual and group rights and mass media – drawing attention to the significant broadening of Indian democracy.
M Manisha and Sharmila Mitra Deb are Senior Lecturers in the Department of Political Science, Loreto College, Kolkata.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Matter\r | 1 | ||
| Half Title\r | 1 | ||
| Series Page\r | 2 | ||
| Title\r | 3 | ||
| Copyright\r | 4 | ||
| Contents\r | 5 | ||
| List of Contributors\r | 7 | ||
| Preface\r | 9 | ||
| Main Body\r | 11 | ||
| Introduction. Democratic Politics in India: Concepts, Challenges and Debates, by M Manisha\r | 11 | ||
| Challenges to Indian Democracy: A Theoretical Conception\r | 13 | ||
| Institutional Efficacy and Question of Democracy\r | 18 | ||
| Practice of Democracy: How Effective Is It? \r | 23 | ||
| Group Dynamics: Measure of Democratic Success\r | 27 | ||
| Elite Attitudes: Challenge to Democracy?\r | 29 | ||
| The Road Ahead?\r | 30 | ||
| Note\r | 31 | ||
| Chapter 1. Reconstructing Democratic Concerns in India, by Rajarma Tolpady\r | 33 | ||
| 1.I\r | 33 | ||
| 1.II\r | 40 | ||
| 1.III\r | 46 | ||
| Notes\r | 49 | ||
| Chapter 2. Are We Ready for Democracy? A Few Observations, by Gautam Kumar Basu\r | 52 | ||
| Notes\r | 57 | ||
| Chapter 3. Democracy and Poverty in India, by Yogendra Yadav | 58 | ||
| 3.I\r | 59 | ||
| 3.II\r | 64 | ||
| Notes\r | 70 | ||
| Chapter 4. Democracy and Federalism in India: Two Episodes and a Set of Questions, by Peter Ronald deSouza\r | 71 | ||
| The Federal Story\r | 72 | ||
| The Democracy Story\r | 74 | ||
| The Goa and Jharkhand Cases\r | 75 | ||
| Federalism Against Democracy\r | 80 | ||
| Notes\r | 82 | ||
| Chapter 5. India's Coalition Future? By Rakhahari Chatterji\r | 83 | ||
| Perspective on Coalition Politics\r | 84 | ||
| From 'Bridging' to 'Bonding' Parties\r | 88 | ||
| Disappearance of Single Party Majority\r | 90 | ||
| From One Dominant to Weak Bimodal Party System\r | 91 | ||
| Coalition Without Alternative\r | 92 | ||
| Conclusion\r | 96 | ||
| Notes\r | 96 | ||
| Chapter 6. How Democratic is our Parliament? Elite Representation and Functional Efficiency of Lok Sabha, by M Manisha\r | 98 | ||
| The Phase of Parliamentary Efficiency: 1952-62\r | 101 | ||
| Democratization and Rivalry, 1967-84\r | 104 | ||
| Bahujan Ascendancy, 1985-98\r | 110 | ||
| Improved Representation?\r | 115 | ||
| Notes\r | 119 | ||
| References\r | 121 | ||
| Chapter 7. Democracy's Janus Face: A Review of Elections in Post-Independence India, by Samir Kumar Das\r | 122 | ||
| Unique Histories\r | 123 | ||
| Dispiriting the Laws\r | 129 | ||
| Disarticulation of Moral Communities\r | 136 | ||
| Notes\r | 137 | ||
| Chapter 8. The Nature of the Opposition in India's Parliamentary Democracy, by Sanjukta Banerji Bhattacharya\r | 139 | ||
| 8.I\r | 140 | ||
| 8.II\r | 141 | ||
| 8.III\r | 145 | ||
| 8.IV\r | 148 | ||
| 8.V\r | 153 | ||
| 8.VI\r | 158 | ||
| Notes\r | 159 | ||
| Chapter 9. Restyling Democracy?: Mainstream Media and Public Space vis-a-vis Indian Television, by Dipankar Sinha | 161 | ||
| Introduction\r | 161 | ||
| 9.I Pre-Liberalization Televisual Scenario\r | 163 | ||
| 9. II Post-Liberalization Televisual Scenario\r | 169 | ||
| Concluding Observations\r | 179 | ||
| Acknowledgements\r | 181 | ||
| Notes\r | 181 | ||
| Chapter 10. The Poor Working Women: The Achilles Heel of Indian Democracy - A Profile on the Maidservant from the Bustees of Kolkata, by Sreeparna Das Gupta \r | 184 | ||
| Theoretical and Empirical Background \r | 184 | ||
| Objectives, Data Source and Hypotheses\r | 191 | ||
| Notes\r | 199 | ||
| References\r | 200 | ||
| Chapter 11. How is Democracy in South Asia? A Comparison of the Elite and the Mass Attitudes, by K C Suri\r | 203 | ||
| Some Assumptions, Concerns and Questions\r | 206 | ||
| Sources for the Study\r | 208 | ||
| Who Are the Elites and Who are the Masses?\r | 210 | ||
| Selection Criteria\r | 214 | ||
| The Elite Profile \r | 217 | ||
| Political Participation\r | 222 | ||
| Attitudes Towards Democracy\r | 225 | ||
| Conclusion\r | 250 | ||
| Notes\r | 251 | ||
| References\r | 253 |