Tag Archives: reforms

Panch Sudhaar – Country Needs them Right Away

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Prime Minister Modi called for Panch Pran (oath/pledge) from the Red Fort on Independence Day.

These pledges are: Taking pride in our civilizational roots, Removing traces of colonial mindest, a developed India by 2047, Duties and responsibilities of citizens, and unity among workers.

Not to be outdone, the chief of AAP who is discredited with the removal of donor lists from his party’s website soon jumped out with 5 Kaam (tasks). Flushed with unaccounted money, he is threatening to take a nationwide tour in the name of Make India Number 1 and exhorting Indians to join the National Mission, he is trying to set his own agenda. Misleadingly enough, he is coming to the same rhetoric that this project has nothing to do with party politics.

The fact remains that the aspirations of the country can be met with sudhaars (reforms). (Photo: Canva)

The political parties are desperate to outsmart each other because the very survival depends upon showing each other down or in poor light. Whereas, politics demands that the elected representatives work with the spirit of working together for nation-building.

The fact remains that the aspirations of the country can not be met without sudhaars (reforms). Mere incremental changes will not help, we need reforms to galvanize our country. There are many reforms that we need, but Panch Sudhar (5 Reforms) that we need immediately are:

  1. Ban electoral Bonds- the symbols of black money in politics
  2. Bring political parties under RTI
  3. Right to Recall and Right to Initiative
  4. Ban big currency notes immediately
  5. Give 7 % of the national budget in form of untied funds to Gram Panchayats to empower them in a realistic manner.

The country needs real reforms to bring an overhaul. So, Panch Pran is good, no one is stopping them to do Panch Kaam, but we really need Panch Sudhaar in order to upgrade our democracy.

Inner Party Democracy: Solution to Nepotism of Indian Politics

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On Aug 15, 2022, Prime Minister Modi stressed from the Red Fort that Corruption and Nepotism are still significant challenges to the country.

Let us look at the UK. Indians are keenly watching if Rishi Sunak- of Indian decent- will be becoming the Prime Minister of England or not. Currently, Rishi is busy undergoing Primary elections whereby contenders compete within their own party for votes from their party members. This system of primaries within parties gives a fair chance to every aspirant to take a shot at the intended goal. In the US presidential system, primaries (also called caucuses) are held and thus, the game is open to everyone. In other words, we call this phenomenon Inner Party Democracy.

In India, the concept of Inner Party Democracy is sorely missing (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

In India, the concept of Inner Party Democracy is sorely missing. That is why we see sons, daughters, nephews, and even son in laws becoming powerful in the political parties.

I hope Mr Prime Minister takes follows up on this issue. The solutions are within his hands and readily available. For example:

  • He can appeal to ECI (being an autonomous body) to take this issue up. No one can stop ECI if it puts out a diktat to political parties to set their house in order. ECI will surely listen to PM’s conscience.
  • Parliament can take the issue of Inner Party democracy and bring about a law in this regard.

Equally important: The public keeps a follow-up on this issue and builds up pressure on all political parties to reform their system to achieve the goal of Inner Party Democracy (Aantrik LokTantr/ Swaraj).

Note: Just a decade back a nascent political party promised Inner Party Democracy /Swaraj. When ascended to power, it simply left the public in the lurch on this promise. As the public, let us not get disappointed by this bewafai. There is a lesson to be learned.

Corruption Issue Raised by PM Modi: Solution is within the Sight

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On the 75th independence day of India, Prime Minister Modi candidly admitted that corruption and nepotism are a big hurdle in the development of the nation.

Mr Modi also gave a clarion call for the Jai Anusandhan pledge. This is a significant move as India not only needs to bring back focus on Scientific Temperament, we need to give impetus to scientific research and funding.

Corruption Issue Raised by PM Modi: Solution is within the Sight (Photo: PIB)

Coming back to the issue of corruption and nepotism, I truly appreciate the candid admission by Mr Modi. However, being the Prime Minister and having a clear-cut majority in the Parliament, I would call upon Mr Modi to enact the following REFORMS with immediate effect. While these 10 reforms are not an end in themselves, they will pave the way for larger reforms. The country needs an overhaul of the system. Incremental changes alone will not meet the needs and hopes of India – a vast country with huge potential.

List of Reforms that India needs without losing further time:

  1. Higher denomination bank notes (Rupee 500 and Rupee 2,000) should be taken out of circulation.
  2. All political parties must be brought under RTI(right to Information)act.
  3. Right to Recall
  4. Right to Initiate.
  5. One Nation – One election. Thus,
    Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and Gram Panchayat elections must be
    held every 5 years at the same time.
  1. All courts of law must work 7 days a week. The number of courts must
    be increased and the vacancies for judges ought to be filled.
  2. A simpler single tax should replace the present GST.
  3. Should a sitting MLA or MP change his party then he/she must step down
    and a fresh election in the constituency be held.
  4. In order to bring transparency to political funding the ‘ Electoral
    Bonds ‘ must be done away with.
  5. Approximately 7% of the total national budget should be allocated
    to Gram Panchayats in order to facilitate them carrying out village
    developments. This will truly bring Swaraj to the doorstep of villages.

Issue of Nepotism: Let us admit, that party-based politics is actually hampering the growth of the country as the politicians continue to divide us with partisan agendas. Political parties have become like organized gangs with ills of high command culture, family rule, and ill-gotten money. Dear Prime Minister, the constitution of India is not very specific about the role of political parties. As a statesman, can you take steps to lessen the role of political parties in Indian democracy? The nation will be forever indebted to you. While partyless democracy may sound like a utopian task, at least the Parliament can enact laws that bring Inner party democracy within political parties. Some electoral reforms like holding primaries, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) or preferential voting, or treating NOTA like a candidate (eg. if NOTA gets the highest votes, the election will be held again), etc. can improve the level of democracy.

India is capable of deciding its destiny. Let the political will complement the resolve!

How to Reclaim the Democracy? Lok Swarajya is the Answer

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Today in India it is August 15, 2022. It is the 14th night in Chicago. We as Indians are celebrating the 75th year of Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav).
On this day, my thoughts about how to Reclaim our Democracy. Lok Swarajya is the answer to the current ills of our Loktantr (democracy).

This article has been published at NewsGram.

https://www.newsgram.com/politics/2022/08/14/time-to-reclaim-democracy

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