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Magazine| Jun 25, 2007
column
Bull's Eye
In India, people don't choose the leadership. Leaders choose the people. So why not scrap elections? Let dynasties elect saffronites or secularists, forwards or backwards as the real people of India.
RAJINDER PURI
Our present political system is unsatisfactory. It has been pointed out that the actual number of voters who elect even single-party governments is a mere fraction of the total electorate. Too many parties have mushroomed to wreck the system. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested a two-party system. Alas, there is no magic wand to accomplish it. Arun Shourie wants a directly elected president. Alas, for that the present Constitution must be scrapped. But if the present Constitution has to be changed, there are better alternatives than the American constitution.
The trouble with our thinkers is that they focus on ground realities. They need to focus on the roof realities. The multitude is on the ground. Fifty-odd dynasties that rule India stand on the roof.
These are the dynasties of Sonia Gandhi, Karunanidhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Jaswant Singh, Murli Deora, late Rajesh Pilot, the late Madhav Rao Scindia, Om Prakash Chautala, Parkash Singh Badal, the late Charan Singh, Maneka Gandhi, the late Pramod Mahajan, Balasaheb Thackeray, Ramadoss... okay, okay! There may be more than 50 dynasties. There may be even a hundred. But that isn't saying much.
We all know who the dynasties are. But we're never sure who the people are. Sometimes secularists are the real people of India. At other times, saffronite Hindus are the real people of India. Or perhaps the OBCs may be the real people. Sometimes even Dalits become the real people of India. Sometimes there are combinations that make real people. Right now, Brahmins and Dalits are the people of Uttar Pradesh. Recently, Yadavs and Muslims were the people of Uttar Pradesh. Sometimes there are even disputes about who the real Scheduled Tribes are. Very recently Gujjars and Meenas were battling it out because they couldn't decide who the real Scheduled Tribe was.
So how must we determine who the people of India are? Why, the dynasties on the roof tell us that. The dynasties don't change. But the people keep changing. This leads one to a profound truth. In India, people don't choose the leadership. Leaders choose the people. So why not scrap elections? Citizens should stop voting for leaders. Let leaders vote for the people. Let dynasties elect saffronites or secularists, forwards or backwards as the real people of India. This will give us a genuine, representative, low-cost democracy. As many ancient, wise philosophers almost said: Let there be a government of the dynasties, for the dynasties, by the dynasties.
Magazine| Jun 25, 2007
column
Bull's Eye
In India, people don't choose the leadership. Leaders choose the people. So why not scrap elections? Let dynasties elect saffronites or secularists, forwards or backwards as the real people of India.
RAJINDER PURI
Our present political system is unsatisfactory. It has been pointed out that the actual number of voters who elect even single-party governments is a mere fraction of the total electorate. Too many parties have mushroomed to wreck the system. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested a two-party system. Alas, there is no magic wand to accomplish it. Arun Shourie wants a directly elected president. Alas, for that the present Constitution must be scrapped. But if the present Constitution has to be changed, there are better alternatives than the American constitution.
The trouble with our thinkers is that they focus on ground realities. They need to focus on the roof realities. The multitude is on the ground. Fifty-odd dynasties that rule India stand on the roof.
These are the dynasties of Sonia Gandhi, Karunanidhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Jaswant Singh, Murli Deora, late Rajesh Pilot, the late Madhav Rao Scindia, Om Prakash Chautala, Parkash Singh Badal, the late Charan Singh, Maneka Gandhi, the late Pramod Mahajan, Balasaheb Thackeray, Ramadoss... okay, okay! There may be more than 50 dynasties. There may be even a hundred. But that isn't saying much.
We all know who the dynasties are. But we're never sure who the people are. Sometimes secularists are the real people of India. At other times, saffronite Hindus are the real people of India. Or perhaps the OBCs may be the real people. Sometimes even Dalits become the real people of India. Sometimes there are combinations that make real people. Right now, Brahmins and Dalits are the people of Uttar Pradesh. Recently, Yadavs and Muslims were the people of Uttar Pradesh. Sometimes there are even disputes about who the real Scheduled Tribes are. Very recently Gujjars and Meenas were battling it out because they couldn't decide who the real Scheduled Tribe was.
So how must we determine who the people of India are? Why, the dynasties on the roof tell us that. The dynasties don't change. But the people keep changing. This leads one to a profound truth. In India, people don't choose the leadership. Leaders choose the people. So why not scrap elections? Citizens should stop voting for leaders. Let leaders vote for the people. Let dynasties elect saffronites or secularists, forwards or backwards as the real people of India. This will give us a genuine, representative, low-cost democracy. As many ancient, wise philosophers almost said: Let there be a government of the dynasties, for the dynasties, by the dynasties.
