Equality in Indian Democracy Chapter 1 + Monarehy open + Universal Adult + Theocracy aoe 4 + People Participation ee, and Awareness + Democracy + Conflict resolution + Fundamental rights + Equality before law '* Separation of powers + Equality and justice 1.1. GOVERNMENT AND ITS FORMS A Government is an essential political institution that plays a fundamental role in society. It is an organizing body that aims to administer (govern) the country on behalf of its people. It upholds laws, regulations and frames policies, keeping in mind the welfare of the people. At national level, one of the primary responsibilities of government is to establish and enforce laws which aid in maintaining peace, order, and security within society. Essential services like healthcare, education, infrastructure development, transportation, sanitation, and public safety, are provided by the government in order to develop the country’s infrastructure and, thereby, the living standard of the people of a country. In order to create social and economic equality, Cte a> GED addressing global challenges such as climate change, terrorism, and trade. It plays a vital role in maintaining peaceand stability ona global scale, The system by which a country is governed is known as its form of government. Based on how people are governed in a country, we have majorly two forms of government — Non Democratic (Totalitarian) and Democratic. Totalitarian government refers to the form of government in which the state or the monarch complete control and regulate every aspect of citizens. There is “No SAY” of people in such form of government. Monarchy, Dictatorship, Theocracy, oligarchy are usually falls under this form of government. exercises government establishes safety nets such as social (Monarchy security, unemployment benefits, and welfare programs. At the international level, government work towards establishing treaties, resolving conflicts, promoting human rights, and Ina monarchy, a monarch (ie., a king or queen) is the head of the Government. Monarchs have the power to make decisions for the entire country or state. The monarchs have the final say in theEngland's experiment with representative government ‘dates back to AD 1215. That was the year when a ‘group of nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, or the Great Charter of Liberties, which laid down that the king could not rule his subjects at his Whim. It established the idea that the king was also subject to the rule of law and restricted his powers. Later, when the Stuart kings began to rule with an iron hand, the Glorious Revolution once again ‘established democratic principles of Government. @ mnning of the country and its laws. They do not have to defend or explain their actions to the people, Monarchies are usually hereditary, i, the power passes from kings and queens to their children. People do not have a say in the selection of monarchs. Nowadays, most monarchies are ruled by monarchs in name only. They usually have an elected parliament to govern the country orstate. For example, Britain, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Kuwait. Dictatorship A dictatorship is a system wherein a person or a small group of people may have seized power by force. They have absolute power in the running of a country. Such governments are formed without the consent of the people. The people do not have the freedom to express their opinions or object to the Government's decisions. Sometimes, the military of acountry can take overits Government by force and establish a dictatorship. Such governments can be quite authoritarian. For example, Germany (under Hitler), Myanmar. ‘Theocracy Ina theocracy, a group of religious leaders run the country in the name of God. In such a system, the laws of the country are in accordance with the teachings of the state religion. Vatican City is a theocracy. Oligarchy An oligarchy is a system of Government wherein a small group of people hold complete political power. This type of Government existed in South Africa in the 20° century. The oligarchy in South Cvies-7 Africa was based on race. The Government was run entirely by the white minority, who held complete power and discriminated against the black majority. | Democratic Non-Democratic Direct, Monarchy Indirect Parliamentary essary Presidential Theocarcy Unitary Federal Oligarchy Democracy A democracy is a Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The word democracy is derived from the Greek word demos, meaning ‘common people’, and kratos, meaning ‘rule’. The people have a say in the formation of the Government. The people can even change a Governmentif they are not happy withit. In sucha system, the people also have a say in the functioning of the Government, The Government has to explain its actions and decisions to the people, who have the power to question it. The English, the American, and the French Revolutions laid the foundations for modern democracy in the 17" and the 18” centuries AD. Before the English Revolution, also known as the Glorious Revolution, the kings of England ruled with total authority, The kings’ wishes were considered law. The people protested against these laws. They passed the Bill of Rights, and established the idea that the people of a country must have a say in Government. The English Revolution had its echoes in the American and the French Revolutions, which also emphasised the people's right to govern themselves. Later on, the term democracy was expanded to include the ideas of universal adult franchise, and socio-Chapter 1: Equality in Indian Democracy @ economic equality. Most governments today are democracies. Democracies can be of two types: direct and indirect. Ina direct democracy, the people directly elect and participate in the Government. In an indirect or representative democracy, people do not directly participate in the Government. Instead, they elect leaders to the Government who take decisions on their behalf. These leaders serve as the representatives of the people. India is a representative democracy. As the head of our country ~ the President ~ is elected, India is also called a democratic republic, Democratic governments can also be parliamentary or presidential, unitary or federal. In a presidential form of democratic Government, the President is the head of the Government as well as the head of the state. He is directly elected by the people. He is appointed for a fixed term and cannot be easily removed from office. In a parliamentary form of Government, the Prime Minister is the head of the Government. He is selected from representatives elected by the people, and can be removed from office by a vote in the Parliament. The President is the head of the state; he or she is not directly elected by the people. Under a unitary system of Government, there is no division of powers between the different levels of Government. The ultimate power rests with the Central or National Government, and the State and Local Governments derive their authority from the Central Government. France and Italy have such Governments. In a federal system, there is division of powers between the centre and the state, Usually, a federal system has two or more levels of government ~ one for the entire country and others at the level of states or provinces. USA, India, Germany, and Switzerland have federal governments. Federal governments usually have a written Constitution. A Constitution is a document that lays down all the 2 rules and regulations that the citizens of a country have to follow. ‘The Constitution of India (Preamble) 1.2 KEY FEATURES OF A DEMOCRACY Universal Adult Franchise Universal adult franchise means all adults in a country can vote and elect their representatives to the Government. The right to vote is an important feature of a democracy as it allows people to participate in the Government by electing their leaders. It also ensures that the rights of all sections of the society are represented equally the Government. In India, all citizens above 18 years of age can vote regardless of their sex, gender, income, caste or religion. Before India became independent, only a small group of people were allowed to vote in the elections. This meant that a small group of people had a say in the Government and made decisions for all the people of the country, Our leaders found the practice unfair and demanded that all adults should be given the right to vote. Governments in many other parts of the world, too, did not allow some sections of the society to vote in the past.® initially, many governments allowed only educated men who owned property to vote. Women, illiterate men, propertyless men, and the poor were not allowed to vote or part the Government. In some countries such as South Africa, blacks were not allowed to vote. Nowadays, all democratic governments grant adults the right tovote. People Participation and Awareness Democracies are based on the idea of people ruling themselves by participating in the Government. The people choose their Government, decide how the Government functions, and approve the laws it passes. Democracies have regular elections so people can choose their representatives and vote for them in regular intervals, Governments are elected for a fixed period of time, after which fresh elections are held. In India, governments are elected for a term of five years. They can be re-elected if the people choose so, else they are replaced by a new Government. In this way, elections ensure the real power remains with the people. Besides voting, people can also participate in and control the Government through public rallies, dharnas, strikes, and signature campaigns for or against a particular cause. They can also express their opinions and views through the media. They can even organise themselves into social movements or organisations to fight for their rights. All this is possible if the people of a country are aware of their rights and take an active interest in the functioning of the Government. The stronger the level of public awareness and public A strike A signature campaign Cives-7 participation, the stronger is the democracy of a county. @onflict resolution Resolving conflicts is among the main responsibilities of democratic governments. All countries have laws according to which conflicts or differences between people or groups are settled. The Indian Constitution also lays down certain laws which have to be followed by everyone, including the Government. The Indian Government has to keep these laws in mind when trying to resolve conflicts. The courts, police, and the defence forces help the Governmentin this task. Fundamental rights Democratic governments grant their citizens certain basic rights to ensure their dignity These rights include freedom of speech, freedom to move and reside in any part of a country, right to equality, right to practice any religion, freedom of press, right to form associations and assemble peacefully. These rights ensure the Government and its functionaries do not misuse their power. Equality before law Equality before law means everyone is equal before the law regardless of their status. No one is above the law. Any violation of law is a punishable offence. The English Revolution laid the basis for this democratic principle. All laws apply equally to all Indian citizens. The people of India can challenge a law in court ifthey feel itis unfair. Separation of powers Democracies usually have three organs of Government - the legislature, which makes laws; the executive, which implements laws; and the judiciary, which ensures the laws are upheld. In most democratic setups, there is a ‘separation of powers’ of the three organs, This means they function independently of each other. This is done to ensure the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary act as checks on each other, thereby preventing misuse of power.Chapter 1: Equality in Indian Democracy @ Equality and justice Equality and justice are the twin pillars of a democracy. Democratic governments work towards ensuring political, social, and economic equality to all people. They ensure all people are treated equally and no person or group is discriminated against or suffers injustice on any ground, Justice and equality go hand in hand. Itis| only by ensuring equality that a Government can achieve justice. 1.3 EQUALITY IN INDIAN DEMOCRACY The Constitution of India holds every citizen equal. This means all Indians irrespective of religion, age, sex, place of birth, education, or economic status are recognised as equals and must be treated with dignity. The leaders who wrote our Cons inequal itution were well aware of the ies that existed in our society at the time of independence. Keeping all this in mind, they laid down provisions in the Constitution toensure equality to all citizens of India, All the government institutions ensures equality to all sections of the society. @1.4 HOW THE CONSTITUTION ENSURES EQUALITY ‘The Constitution of India lays down some provisions that uphold the principle of equality. It grants universal adult franchise to all adult Indian citizens. The right to vote is based on the idea of equality as it grants every adult one vote irrespective of religion, economic status, education, age, sex, etc. The Constitution has made equality a fundamental right. It also considers all citizens equal before law. This means all laws apply equally to all Indian citizens irrespective of what religion they belong to, what caste they are from, whether they are rich or poor, or how much education they have had. The Constitution states that no one, not even the President, is above the law. Anyone who violates law will face punishment. 9 The Constitution also guarantees people equal opportunity to pursue what they want when it comes to any aspect of life, such as education, employment, etc. The Constitution aims to end any such exclusion on the basis of religion, sex, economic status, etc., by granting people the right to access all the public places. In addition, the Constitution has banned untouchability in all its forms. INTEXT QUESTIONS Q. 1, The Constitution has made it the job to ensure equality to all sections of the society. () Government's (i) citizen's (i) court's (iv) police's 2. Universal adult franchise is based on the idea of equality as: ()) it grants everyone equal access to public places (i) it grants every adult one vote (il) it holds all citizens equal before law (iv) none of these 3. Which of the following Constitutional provisions ‘uphold the principle of equality? (), No person can be discriminated against. (il) Every person has access to all the public places (ii) Everyone can speak and express their opinions (iv) Untouchabilty has been abolished. QA India is a representative democracy. True or false? QS A dictatorship is a system where: (the king or queen is the head of the Government. (i) @ group of religious leaders head the Government. (i) @ person or group seize power by force. (lv) people have a say in the formation of the Government, 1.5 HOW THE GOVERNMENT ENSURES EQUALITY ‘The Constitution has put the responsibility of ensuring equality toall people of the Government, The Indian Government tries to make sure that everyone enjoys this Fundamental Right in two ways: (® By passing laws to ensure people are treated equally and with dignity. Before independence, there were no laws that protected people or ‘communities from being discriminated against or from being treated unfairly. Today, India has many laws that protect people's right to be treated equally. For example, women now have the right10 @ ‘0 inherit property. According to the Hindu Succession Amendment Act 2005, not just men, women can also get an equal share of the family property. To ensure equality to women, the Government has also made seeking of dowry a punishable offence, and laid down that all workers, irrespective of their gender be given equal wage for equal work The Disability Act of 1995 provide equal rights to people with disabilities and make it Government's responsibility to ensure their full participation in iety. This act has been replaced by Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, where disability has been given wider concept. The types of disability have been increased from existing 7 to 21. The Act directs the government to take appropriate actions to ensure the persons with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others, To provide free education to every child with benchmark lity and assimilation of such children in mainstream schools. Italso emphasis on structuring the public buildings (such as provision of ramps, adaption of toilets for wheel-chair users) to make it accessible for person with special needs. (ii) By launching schemes and programmes to improve the lives of groups and communities who have historically been treated unequally. The Indian % government has launched many schemes to ensure greater opportunity to eople, especial! 4 howe who have faced "#69/ Ral scene discrimination in the past. It has reserved jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes. It has launched schemes for educating girls and children from the tribal, and economically poor pople.Ithasalso been trying to make sure more children from poor families get access to education by launching programmes suchas the mid-day meal scheme. The mid-day meal scheme provides free lunch to Cwvics-7 all children studying in Government elementary schools. Because of the scheme, many children from poor families have begun attending school regularly. Earlier, children often came to school on an empty stomach. Hunger kept them from concentrating in class properly. They also had to go home for lunch after which not many would return to school. However, there still continues to be big gap between schools attended by the rich and the poor. 1.6 INEQUALITY STILL EXISTS ‘There are two primary reasons why not everyone in India enjoys an equal status in society even now: (Discrimination on the basis of sex, caste, or religion. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits the state from discriminating any citizen on ground of any religion, caste or sex. However, many people still face social discrimination. They also have poor access to education and jobs. Inequality still exists between men and women with fewer going to school compared to boys. Discrimination against women remains an area of concern even today. Largely, such kind of discrimination is being tackled by the government so that it is curbed from the roots itself Gi) Poverty and lack of resources. A majority of Indians are quite poor and this has limited their access to basic amenities, such as healthcare, education, and government jobs. Many people cannot afford to send their children to school. Many are not educated enough to secure Government or private jobs. They struggle for basic necessities such as food and shelter. Many are too poor to pay for doctors treatment and therefore, do not get proper medical care. They often end up being exploited due to their low economic status and are made to accept poor wages for work, which only increases their suffering.Chapter 1: Equality in Indian Democracy @1.7 STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY IN OTHER DEMOCRACIES India is not the only country where inequality continues to be an issue. The United States of America has had a long history of African- Americans struggling for an equal status in society. In the 1950s, African-Americans launched a movement to fight for equal rights. They sought to end the discrimination they faced daily. For example, African-American children could not study with white children. They had to attend separate schools. When travelling by public transport such as buses, African-Americans were required to sit in the back, away from white people. If a white person wanted to sit, African-Americans were required to get up and give up their seats. ‘AricanAmericans Movernent INTEXT QUESTIONS i But in 1955, an African- American woman called Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Her refusal sparked a huge agitation against the discrimination faced by African-Americans which came to be known as the Civil Rights Movement. Under pressure, the U.S. Government finally passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 which banned discrimination on the basis of religion, race, or It also granted equal access to schools to African-American children who no longer had to attend separate schools. However, even today, Rosa Parks African-American continue to struggle for their right to equality. Many are quite poor and lack the resources to put their children in good schools In a nationally televised address on June 6, 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy urged all Americans to take action towards guaranteeing equal treatment to all the citizens regardless of the race. Kennedy was assassinated in November 25, 1963. But his proposal ‘culminated in the Civil Rights Act, which was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. ee Q.1_ Not everyone in India enjoys an equal status in society even today because of: (Discrimination on the basis of sex, oF religion (li) lack of resources (it) poverty (Ww) all of these Q.2 Tawa Matsya Sangh is an example of how poor people in Madhya Pradesh fought for: (equal status (i) right for education (li) right over resources (iv) right for freedom of movement Q3 Our Constitution is considered a document. Q4 The Civil Rights Movement was launched by to protest against QS The mid-day meal scheme provides to all children studying in government schools. @ case stuby TOOLS OF DEMOCRACY ~ ELECTIONS & POLITICAL PARTIES, POLITICAL PARTIES A poli party comprises of group of people who share similar political views and aim to run the Government of a country oF state. The membership ofa political party is voluntary, i, people are fre to join or leave it, Each political party hasits own beliefs and objectives on various issues, such as social programmes, defence of a country, foreign policy of a country, et. By listening to these views, people can decide whether they want to support the party ornot.aQ vies? ® Singte, two-party, and multi-party systems single party system is one wherein all candidates who contest elections are from the same party. As there is only one political party, it wields alot of power. China has such a system. A two-party system is one wherein voters can choose ‘between two different partes to head their Government. US.A has a two-party system under which either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party forms the Government. The party that doesnot secure majority vote forms the opposition. Britain follows a similar model. A multi-party system is one wherein voters can choose their Government from several dlfferent parties, India has such a system, ‘National and regional parties In India, votes can choose their representatives from several different parties, Some of these parties have a national presence and contest elections in a numberof regions. They are called national parties. Some contest elections in only certain regions ‘and are therefore called regional or state parties, Can you name some national and state parties? Look up their manifestoes and discuss them in lass. ® ttecrions ‘A democracy requires that people choose their Government. How do people choose their Government? By participating in ‘elections and voting fr thet representatives. All lected representatives comprise the parliament or assembly othe country. ne sroup ofthese elected representative ultimately forms the Government, General, mid-term, and bye-elections Regular elections area key feature of democracies. Governments are elected fora fixed period of time, after which fresh elections areheld In India, Governments are elected for a term of five years. Elections through which a new Government is chosen fr the ‘entire country o a particular state are called general elections. When such elections are hel forthe entire county, they are also known as Parliament of Lok Sabha elections, When they are held fora state they are also know as Assembly or Vidhan Sabha clections. Representatives elected by the people to the Parliament are known as Members of Parliament (MP), while representatives elected to the state legislatures are known as Membersof the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) In case the Parliament ofthe State assembly is dissolved before it completes its five-year term, fresh elections are held for appointing « new Government, Such elections are known as mid-term elections. The new Goverment i appointed for afresh five-year term. In ease, an elected representative resigns from his office or dies before completing histerm, elections are held t ill ister seat. Such elections are known as bye-eleetions. Representatives elected through such elections serve fr what sett of the previousmember'sterm. Besidesnationaland state governments, clectionsarealso held nour counte fr local bodies such as Municipal Corporations, Zila Parishads, Gram Panchayats etc All Indian citizens above 18 years of age have the right to vote in elections, regardless oftheir ‘aste Sex, or religion. The only exceptions are people of unsound mind, convicts, and people who haveboen declared bankrupt. Election Commission Free and fai elections are @ necessary requirement in a democracy. This is ensured by an independent body called the Election ‘Commission, which is answerable only to the Parliament. Besides monitoring polls, itis empowered to resolve disputes about lection results. All politcal parties have to register with the EC. Italo choses the election symbols forthe partes, The Election ‘Commission isheadedby a Chief Election Commissioner, whoisappointedby the President, Constituencies For the purpose of elections, the total area of the country or state is divided into smaller areas called constituencies. From each: ‘constituency, one representative selected tothe Parliament or the State Assembly. Election campaign "National elections ae announced by the President, while stateelections are announced by gowemors of the respectivestates. Once lections are announced, he Election Commission draws up the schedule fr the elections. It announces the dates for filing of ‘nomination of papers by candidates leaders contesting the elections), scrutiny of nomination papers, withdrawal of nominations, and polling. “Meanwhile the political parties decide which constituencies they plan to contest eletions from and announce their candidates, ‘They also announce theit manifesto, i, polices and programmes they pla to undertake if elected to the Government. Political partis usually announce their manifestoes and candidates ina campaign before anclection. Such a campaign usually takes the form of public meetings rallies, etc. On the basis of these campaigns the people decide who they wish to vote for and represent them inthe Government Electoral polling ‘On the day of polling people goto booths setup fr the purpose to cast thelr votes. To make sure people are free to cast their vote without peessure or fear, the votesare cast througha seret ballot. Voters pres abutton on an electronic voting machine in privacy.‘Chapter 1: Equality in Indian Democracy 13 Qos exept ote knows who eras odo: Th ton Commlaion pin alto enue he pling a a ae eather tng Goa Declaration of results Aiter the polling process is over, the Election Commission begins counting votes. The name of a © Candidate with the most votes are announced for each constituency. Ifa candidate wins more than half the votes cast in a constituency, he is said to have won by an absolute majority. Ifa candidate gets the most votes but less than half the total votes cast, he is said to have won by & simple majority Formation of government ‘After elections are over, the party with the maximum number of elected leaders is determined. Such a party is said to have a majority. The party with the majority is called the Ruling Party and is invited to form the Government. The parties which oppose the majority form the Opposition. The largest among thems called the Opposition Party. If no single party gets a clear majority on its own, partes join with other political parties that share similar interests to form the ‘A Voting machine Government, Such governments are called coalitions. New Terms ‘+ Constitution: A document that lays down all the rules and regulations that the citizens of a country have to follow. ‘+ Democracy: Rule by the people; every citizen can partipate in Government. ‘+ Marginal communities: Are those communities that have historically been excluded from society on the boasts of religion, caste, sex, etc. For example, women, Dalits, etc. ‘+ Fundamental Rights: Rights guaranteed to all citizens of India by the Constitution ‘+ Hindu Succession Amendment Act: Women can also get an equal share of the family property. Rewind 1. The Constitution of tndia holds every citizen equal. This means all Indians irrespective of religion, age, ‘sex, place of birth, education, or economic status are recognised as equals, 2. To uphold the principle of equality, the Constitution lays down some provisions: (It grants universal adult franchise, i.e, the right to vote to all Indians. (li) Tt holds all citizens equal before law. (ii) 1t prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of religion, race, sex, or place of birth, (Wv) It grants every person access to all public paces, (¥) It prohibits the practice of untouchabiity in any form. 3, The Constitution has put the responsibility of ensuring ‘equality to all the people of the Government. 4, The Indian Government tries to make sure everyone enjoys equal status by: Disabilties Act: Gives persons with disabilities equal rights and makes it the Government's responsibilty to make sure they can ful participate in society. MMid-day meal scheme: A Government scheme to Provide free lunch to all children studying in Government elementary schools, ‘Civil Rights Movement: Launched by Aftican-Americans In the 1950s against the discrimination they faced in the American society and to fight for and equal status, ‘Givi Rights Act: Passed by the United States of ‘America in 1964; it banned discrimination on the basis of religion, race, oF origin; it also granted equal access to schools to African-American children who no longer had to attend separate schools, (Passing laws to ensure people are treated equally and with dignity, (i) Launching schemes to improve the lves of groups and communities who have historically been treated unequal. However, inequality still exists in many forms in India. “There are to main reasons for this: ascimination on the basis of sex, or religion, and poverty, and lack of resources. Economic and social equality are important aspects of a democracy. And it can only be realised if all citizens have adequate resources and no citizen is discriminated against for ary reason. Our Constitution is considered to be a “living document’. Indians have often referre to it while fighting for their equal status