Changing Parameteres of Indian Democracy: Past, Present and Future

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The book titled Changing Parameters of Indian Democracy: Past, Present and Future is a beautiful collection of academic articles on various dimensions of Indian democracy. Ever since the days of Nehru to present Modi Government, Indian democracy has travelled many ups and downs due to difference of political ideologies, regional variations, linguistic regionalism, caste politics, and communal disharmony. Besides, Indias suspicious neighbors, diplomatic wrangling, global image, undocumented migration, and security challenges are not less important for in-depth analysis of Indian democracy. Issues related to dysfunctional leadership, political reforms, party democracy, media censorship and environmental legislation need to be addressed for cause of string nation building. Covid-19 pandemic and the sub developments in India have dramatically changed the classic patterns of democracy. Time has to come to revive, regenerate and re-write Indian way of working within broader framework of democracy, secularism and socialism through collective social power, statecraft and competitive spirit.

BADRUDDIN (b.1961) hold M.A. (Double), M.Phil & PhD. is presently working as an Professor & Head in Political Science, PESS Ravi S. Naik College of Arts & Science, Ponda, Goa, affiliated to Goa University. He has published large number of papers in journal, books, edited several books and participated in large number of conferences in UK, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand apart from different parts of India including some best paper awards. He has been visiting professor & Chair, deputed by ICCR, Gol, New Delhi besides being a short term Visiting Scholar at East China Norma University, Shanghai. He is actively associated with several editorial boards, review committees, key note speaker, chairperson and resource person on various academic occasions.

AMIT BHOWMICK (b.1977), is presently Post Doctoral Research Fellow and Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology in Nur Mohammad Smriti Mahavidyalaya (Affiliated Kalyani University), Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Dr. Bhowmick has been involved in teaching for 14 years and attended several National and International Conferences or Symposia. He has contributed over a dozen articles in journals of national and international repute and authored many outstanding books. He is associated with many national as well as international organizations, chaired various sessions and visited many countries.

Parliamentary democracy envisages the spirit of common men and remains a major check and balance on executive power. India is the second largest democracy with over 1300 million population, making it the most important electoral power in the world. Since India got independent in 1947 and the subsequent inception of constitutional model, accompanied with large number of infrastructural projects, our country experienced many ups and downs. Serious challenges in various scores dramatically changed the classic patter of democracy, a dream shared by Tilak, Lohia, Ambedkar, Nehru, Gandhi and many more visionaries of India. With gradual reforms, administrative unaccountability and non transparency in various sectors manifested in forms of poverty, unemployment, unsatisfactory education, distorted secularism, linguistic chauvinism and regional disparity. Paradoxically however, there is also a rapid increase in the misuse of electoral system to fulfill the parochial objectives. Keeping away from value based democracy, the quest of power has subsumed altruistic purpose where peoples' verdicts do not hold good reasons due to loose coalition, saffron agenda, fractured mandate, and horse trading business. Political parties, national and regional, failed to win the heart of common men. Large number of plans, polices and legislations like Lok Pay, Lok Ayutka, RTI, Citizens' Charter and NITI Ayog on the name of democracy and development worked as wonder. Many of these incentives virtually failed to fulfill the true democratic spirit. Repeated eco- political scams, kickbacks, stormy and sessions of parliament rather than meaningful debate, concentration of power and delay in judicial inquiries need urgent institutional safeguards. Let the voters decide the free hands of electoral franchise to respect the true spirit of Indian democracy in the eyes of global community.

Book titled "Changing Parameters of Indian Democracy: Past, Present and Future" is an academic endeavor of large number of scholars from different universities and college from across India.