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INDIA: IS IT TIME TO GO PRESIDENTIAL?

Year 2022, Issue: 5, 2 - 23, 31.08.2022

Abstract

Indian democracy has come of age, and it is probably time to abandon the colonial heritage as far as its parliamentary system is concerned. Transactionality is the name of the game in India’s parliamentary system, where the principle of representation is fast fading. The art of coherent electoral manifestos and democratic debate on the policy promises it contains is a distant reality. The democratic debate and electioneering is replaced by vote banks, MPs crossing the floor, personality cult and other deification of political leaders through social media hammering. The end result is the loss of morality among parliamentarians, transforming the legislature into a financial clearing house. The situation is further worsened by two other problems related to the parliamentary process in India. The first among these two problems is political consensus. National development, economic and social needs, demand a broad consensus and popular affirmation on a few central policies and issues to move this gigantic country forward through the next few decades that are going to be very difficult. The only Indian statesperson that could build such a consensus was Indira Gandhi. Today India is divided and confused with no clarity of purpose, dogmatic leadership cannot replace charismatic statesmanship. The other problem is that in the best of colonial traditions, India is centralized bureaucratically but splintered politically. The parliamentary system is unable to streamline federal institutions towards one politically unifying and unified National Interest. One can therefore legitimately ask a very simple question: Is it time to make a leap towards a Presidential system, where the President is directly elected through universal suffrage? Could this help give India one national figure, one clean voice and one articulation of the National Interest?

References

  • - Baazil, D. (2021. December 15). Dutch Leader Mark Rutte Seals Coalition Deal After Longest Ever Talks. Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-15/dutch-leader-rutte-seals-coalition-deal-after-longest-ever-talks
  • - Badam, R. T. (2004). India’s Cities Flex Muscle by Changing Names. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-26-adfg-name26-story.html
  • - Barthwal, C. P. (2012). Coalition Governments in India. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 73(1), 9–20. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856556
  • - Bernhard, M., Reenock, C., & Nordstrom, T. (2004). The Legacy of Western Overseas Colonialism on Democratic Survival. International Studies Quarterly, 48(1), 225–250. Retrieved 7 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3693570
  • - Bush, G. W. (2021, January 20). President George W. Bush's Inaugural Address. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/inaugural-address.html
  • - Cheibub, J., Elkins, Z., & Ginsburg, T. (2014). Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism. British Journal of Political Science, 44(3), 515-544. DOI:10.1017/S000712341300032X
  • - Donaldson, K. (2022. January 18). Johnson Under Threat: How U.K. Tories Get Rid of Their Leaders. Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-18/johnson-under-threat-how-u-k-tories-get-rid-of-their-leaders
  • - Fisman, R., Schulz, F., & Vig, V. (2014). The Private Returns to Public Office. Journal of Political Economy, 122(4), 806–862. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1086/676334
  • - Fukuyama, F. (1989). The End of History? The National Interest, 16, 3–18. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24027184
  • - Galindo, G. (2020. August 3). Belgium breaks own record for longest period without government. The Brussels Times. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.brusselstimes.com/124777/belgium-breaks-own-record-for-longest-period-without-government
  • - Ganghof, S. (2016). Reconciling Representation and Accountability: Three Visions of Democracy Compared. Government and Opposition, 51(2), 209–233. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26349802
  • - Gulati, A. (2018, July 18). Five Colonial Laws Which Live On In India But Have Long Died in UK. The Quint. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3LSGu3Y
  • - Hendrickson, D. C., & Tucker, R. W. (2005). The Freedom Crusade. The National Interest, 81, 12–21. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42897567
  • - Issacharoff, S. (2018). Democracy’s Deficits. The University of Chicago Law Review, 85(2), 485–520. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26455915
  • - Jena, B. B., & Baral, J. K. (1979). A Fresh Look at Vote Banks: Some Case Studies from Orissa. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 40(3), 395–417. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41854970
  • - Jha, M. (2019. April 8). Opinion | Vote-bank politics is not always bad for democracy. Live Mint. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3xjCJAC
  • - Lijphart, A. (1996). The Puzzle of Indian Democracy: A Consociational Interpretation. The American Political Science Review, 90(2), 258–268. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2082883
  • - Luckhurst, T. (2021. September 29). German coalition talks: Where Brits see a crisis, Germans find unity. BBC News. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58718307
  • - Lupia, A., & Strøm, K. (1995). Coalition Termination and the Strategic Timing of Parliamentary Elections. The American Political Science Review, 89(3), 648–665. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2082980
  • - Lührmann, A. et al. (2020). Autocratization Surges – Resistance Grows. Democracy Report 2020. Gothenburg: V-Dem Institute. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.v-dem.net/democracy_reports.html
  • - Madras High Court. Home Page. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from http://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/
  • - McCabe R. (2021, March 5). Global Political Protests and the Future of Democracy. CSIS. Retrieved 6 April, 2022 from https://www.csis.org/analysis/global-political-protests-and-future-democracy
  • - Miglani, S. (2014. April 15). Indian voters lured by cash handouts, drugs, bootleg liquor. Reuters News Agency. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://reut.rs/3JIYvjA
  • - Mitra, S. & Hauck,L. S. (2019. April 26). Campaign Financing in India: Black Money and the Sale of Offices. Hypothesis. University of Hiedelberg. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://heigos.hypotheses.org/10977
  • - Mueller, D. C. (1987). The Growth of Government: A Public Choice Perspective. Staff Papers. International Monetary Fund, 34(1), 115–149. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/3867026
  • - Nand, R. (2010). The Dynamics of Indian Political System. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 71(2), 413–424. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42753705
  • - National portal of India. (No date given). The Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985. india.gov.in. Retrieved 14 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3rrVP3t
  • - Rau, B. N. (1949). The Indian Constitution. India Quarterly, 5(4), 293–303. Retrieved 7 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/45068056
  • - Richards, D. (2008). New Labour and the Civil Service - Reconstituting the Westminster Model. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • - Riggs, F. W. (1997). Presidentialism versus Parliamentarism: Implications for Representativeness and Legitimacy. International Political Science Review / Revue Internationale de Science Politique, 18(3), 253–278, Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1601343
  • - Ruparelia, S. (2015). Divided We Govern - Coalition Politics in Modern India. Oxford: OUP.
  • - Sen, S. R. (1993). India’s Political System: What Is to Be Done? Economic and Political Weekly, 28(1/2), 27–34. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399275
  • - Singh, S. S. (2018. March 23). An individual voter is insignificant in our democracy, but a caste vote bank is invaluable. The Print. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3rcw731
  • - Sircar, N. (2018. July 26). Money matters in Indian elections: Why parties depend on wealthy candidates. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3jBbKbC
  • - Smith, T. B. (1986). Referendum Politics in Asia. Asian Survey, 26(7), 793–814. Retrieved 15 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2644212
  • - Subramanian, N. (2019. June 8). What’s the price of a vote in India? A new report comes up with a startling number. Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/38HqX8F
  • - Theakston, K. (2016). Leadership in Whitehall. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • - The Economic Times. (2014. November 1). Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3JnmsN7
  • - The Economist. (2022 February 12). The ailing body politic - The organs of India’s democracy are decaying. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/12/the-organs-of-indias-democracy-are-decaying
  • - Vaishnav, M. (2015). Understanding the Indian Voter. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3uv5rg1
  • - Vengattil, M. & Siddiqui Z. (2019. May 18.). Lawbreakers to lawmakers? The 'criminal candidates' standing in India's election. Reuters News Agency. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://reut.rs/3vf6iAr

INDIA: IS IT TIME TO GO PRESIDENTIAL?

Year 2022, Issue: 5, 2 - 23, 31.08.2022

Abstract

Indian democracy has come of age, and it is probably time to abandon the colonial heritage as far as its parliamentary system is concerned. Transactionality is the name of the game in India’s parliamentary system, where the principle of representation is fast fading. The art of coherent electoral manifestos and democratic debate on the policy promises it contains is a distant reality. The democratic debate and electioneering is replaced by vote banks, MPs crossing the floor, personality cult and other deification of political leaders through social media hammering. The end result is the loss of morality among parliamentarians, transforming the legislature into a financial clearing house. The situation is further worsened by two other problems related to the parliamentary process in India. The first among these two problems is political consensus. National development, economic and social needs, demand a broad consensus and popular affirmation on a few central policies and issues to move this gigantic country forward through the next few decades that are going to be very difficult. The only Indian statesperson that could build such a consensus was Indira Gandhi. Today India is divided and confused with no clarity of purpose, dogmatic leadership cannot replace charismatic statesmanship. The other problem is that in the best of colonial traditions, India is centralized bureaucratically but splintered politically. The parliamentary system is unable to streamline federal institutions towards one politically unifying and unified National Interest. One can therefore legitimately ask a very simple question: Is it time to make a leap towards a Presidential system, where the President is directly elected through universal suffrage? Could this help give India one national figure, one clean voice and one articulation of the National Interest?

References

  • - Baazil, D. (2021. December 15). Dutch Leader Mark Rutte Seals Coalition Deal After Longest Ever Talks. Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-15/dutch-leader-rutte-seals-coalition-deal-after-longest-ever-talks
  • - Badam, R. T. (2004). India’s Cities Flex Muscle by Changing Names. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-26-adfg-name26-story.html
  • - Barthwal, C. P. (2012). Coalition Governments in India. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 73(1), 9–20. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856556
  • - Bernhard, M., Reenock, C., & Nordstrom, T. (2004). The Legacy of Western Overseas Colonialism on Democratic Survival. International Studies Quarterly, 48(1), 225–250. Retrieved 7 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3693570
  • - Bush, G. W. (2021, January 20). President George W. Bush's Inaugural Address. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/inaugural-address.html
  • - Cheibub, J., Elkins, Z., & Ginsburg, T. (2014). Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism. British Journal of Political Science, 44(3), 515-544. DOI:10.1017/S000712341300032X
  • - Donaldson, K. (2022. January 18). Johnson Under Threat: How U.K. Tories Get Rid of Their Leaders. Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-18/johnson-under-threat-how-u-k-tories-get-rid-of-their-leaders
  • - Fisman, R., Schulz, F., & Vig, V. (2014). The Private Returns to Public Office. Journal of Political Economy, 122(4), 806–862. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1086/676334
  • - Fukuyama, F. (1989). The End of History? The National Interest, 16, 3–18. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24027184
  • - Galindo, G. (2020. August 3). Belgium breaks own record for longest period without government. The Brussels Times. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.brusselstimes.com/124777/belgium-breaks-own-record-for-longest-period-without-government
  • - Ganghof, S. (2016). Reconciling Representation and Accountability: Three Visions of Democracy Compared. Government and Opposition, 51(2), 209–233. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26349802
  • - Gulati, A. (2018, July 18). Five Colonial Laws Which Live On In India But Have Long Died in UK. The Quint. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3LSGu3Y
  • - Hendrickson, D. C., & Tucker, R. W. (2005). The Freedom Crusade. The National Interest, 81, 12–21. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42897567
  • - Issacharoff, S. (2018). Democracy’s Deficits. The University of Chicago Law Review, 85(2), 485–520. Retrieved 4 April, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26455915
  • - Jena, B. B., & Baral, J. K. (1979). A Fresh Look at Vote Banks: Some Case Studies from Orissa. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 40(3), 395–417. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41854970
  • - Jha, M. (2019. April 8). Opinion | Vote-bank politics is not always bad for democracy. Live Mint. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3xjCJAC
  • - Lijphart, A. (1996). The Puzzle of Indian Democracy: A Consociational Interpretation. The American Political Science Review, 90(2), 258–268. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2082883
  • - Luckhurst, T. (2021. September 29). German coalition talks: Where Brits see a crisis, Germans find unity. BBC News. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58718307
  • - Lupia, A., & Strøm, K. (1995). Coalition Termination and the Strategic Timing of Parliamentary Elections. The American Political Science Review, 89(3), 648–665. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2082980
  • - Lührmann, A. et al. (2020). Autocratization Surges – Resistance Grows. Democracy Report 2020. Gothenburg: V-Dem Institute. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.v-dem.net/democracy_reports.html
  • - Madras High Court. Home Page. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from http://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/
  • - McCabe R. (2021, March 5). Global Political Protests and the Future of Democracy. CSIS. Retrieved 6 April, 2022 from https://www.csis.org/analysis/global-political-protests-and-future-democracy
  • - Miglani, S. (2014. April 15). Indian voters lured by cash handouts, drugs, bootleg liquor. Reuters News Agency. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://reut.rs/3JIYvjA
  • - Mitra, S. & Hauck,L. S. (2019. April 26). Campaign Financing in India: Black Money and the Sale of Offices. Hypothesis. University of Hiedelberg. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://heigos.hypotheses.org/10977
  • - Mueller, D. C. (1987). The Growth of Government: A Public Choice Perspective. Staff Papers. International Monetary Fund, 34(1), 115–149. Retrieved 9 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/3867026
  • - Nand, R. (2010). The Dynamics of Indian Political System. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 71(2), 413–424. Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42753705
  • - National portal of India. (No date given). The Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985. india.gov.in. Retrieved 14 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3rrVP3t
  • - Rau, B. N. (1949). The Indian Constitution. India Quarterly, 5(4), 293–303. Retrieved 7 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/45068056
  • - Richards, D. (2008). New Labour and the Civil Service - Reconstituting the Westminster Model. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • - Riggs, F. W. (1997). Presidentialism versus Parliamentarism: Implications for Representativeness and Legitimacy. International Political Science Review / Revue Internationale de Science Politique, 18(3), 253–278, Retrieved 6 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1601343
  • - Ruparelia, S. (2015). Divided We Govern - Coalition Politics in Modern India. Oxford: OUP.
  • - Sen, S. R. (1993). India’s Political System: What Is to Be Done? Economic and Political Weekly, 28(1/2), 27–34. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399275
  • - Singh, S. S. (2018. March 23). An individual voter is insignificant in our democracy, but a caste vote bank is invaluable. The Print. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3rcw731
  • - Sircar, N. (2018. July 26). Money matters in Indian elections: Why parties depend on wealthy candidates. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3jBbKbC
  • - Smith, T. B. (1986). Referendum Politics in Asia. Asian Survey, 26(7), 793–814. Retrieved 15 April, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2307/2644212
  • - Subramanian, N. (2019. June 8). What’s the price of a vote in India? A new report comes up with a startling number. Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/38HqX8F
  • - Theakston, K. (2016). Leadership in Whitehall. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • - The Economic Times. (2014. November 1). Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3JnmsN7
  • - The Economist. (2022 February 12). The ailing body politic - The organs of India’s democracy are decaying. Retrieved 10 April, 2022, from https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/12/the-organs-of-indias-democracy-are-decaying
  • - Vaishnav, M. (2015). Understanding the Indian Voter. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 11 April, 2022, from https://bit.ly/3uv5rg1
  • - Vengattil, M. & Siddiqui Z. (2019. May 18.). Lawbreakers to lawmakers? The 'criminal candidates' standing in India's election. Reuters News Agency. Retrieved 13 April, 2022, from https://reut.rs/3vf6iAr
There are 41 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects International Relations
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Ramachandra Byrappa 0000-0002-6053-0578

Early Pub Date August 21, 2022
Publication Date August 31, 2022
Submission Date May 22, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Issue: 5

Cite

APA Byrappa, R. (2022). INDIA: IS IT TIME TO GO PRESIDENTIAL?. Journal of International Relations and Political Science Studies(5), 2-23.