Challenges of Indian Government after

Independence

Abstract: Democracy means ensuring governance by the people so that every citizen
participates in the decision-making process directly or indirectly through elected representatives. India
is the largest democracy in the world. It has worked with some success in the last more than 6 decades.
But to ensure true democracy in modern India there are many challenges to be faced. These challenges
may include: social and economic inequality, poverty and unemployment, illiteracy and ignorance,
racism, communalism, population explosion, regionalism, corruption and terrorism, etc. India needs
to make new proposals for democratic reforms. Law plays an important role in political reform and
can help prevent wrongdoing and encourage good. But legal changes alone do not help because
changes in laws can sometimes prove counterproductive and have a negative impact on society.
Therefore, the best law empowers the people to make democratic reforms. Right to Information Act is
the best example which acts as a check against abuse of democratic principles. Challenges to
democracy can be countered by labour movements or by politically conscious citizens. Some of the
steps that can be taken to sustain a true parliamentary democracy in India include: achieving 100%
literacy; educating the public about democratic rights; Ensuring better protection of fundamental
rights, and freedom of press etc. In this essay, the author has attempted to study and analyse the existing
democratic setup in India and suggested the necessary reforms to ensure a sustainable democracy in
India.
Keyword: Parliament, Democracy, Literacy, Poverty, Communalism
Introduction: We are proud to be the largest democracy in the world. For more than sixty-five
years we have witnessed the conduct of successful elections, peaceful changes of government at the
Centre and in the States, people exercising freedom of expression, movement and religion. India has
also been developing and transforming economically and socially. At the same time, we, quite often,
listen complains about prevalent inequalities, injustice or non-fulfilment of expectations of certain
sections of the society. These people do not feel themselves participative in the democratic process.
You may ask why it is so. You have already read in earlier unit that democracy means ‘government of
the people, for the people, and by the people’. It means democracy is not limited to just a process of
election, but also fulfilling social
and economic aspirations of the people. In India we keep on debating these various aspects of
democracy and its achievements and challenges.
Structure of Parliament and Its Position in Indian Politics: We
have adopted the system of representative parliamentary democracy. The
basic premise of true democracy is that every person, irrespective of his
caste, religion, caste or sex, and irrespective of the level of educational,
economic or professional background, is able to govern himself and
manage his affairs, as he sees fit. In a democracy, the people own them.
But in today's modern world, it is impossible to rule the country directly
by the people due to population explosion.

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 In the ancient Greek city-states and in India during the Vedic
period, the people themselves came together to decide matters of
governance. But due to population growth, this system has almost
disappeared except in a few Swiss cantons where the people can still
decide large-scale issues by voting. But in modern parliamentary
system the people rule the country through their elected
representatives.
Challenges to Indian Democracy: Soon after independence, India gave itself a constitution
and became a democratic republic on January 26, 1950 and has been governed by this constitution ever
since. This was indeed a commendable achievement, especially when one looks at our neighbors and
even some countries around the world. Because it established a fairly sound basis for a system of
governance, a fair legal system and a democratic socialist society when elections are held regularly
and the popular mandate is respected. Thus, we can say that the democratic system has been established
as accepted as an essential part of Indian political life; Yet we have to admit that in reality, there are
serious flaws and they will have to be addressed sooner or later. Democracy is not a modern
phenomenon; It was practiced with some success in ancient Athens and ancient India; Also, they laid
down some basic principles of a democratic society which will be very relevant for us even in modern
times. Challenges arise from the prevailing domestic and international situation as well as the lack of
adequate preconditions for democracy to function properly. These are discussed below:
► Over Population: The number of people a country can
support depends largely, if not entirely, on its existing natural
resources, the methods used in production, and labor skills that affect
labor productivity. From current standards it appears that India's
population is growing substantially. This overpopulation is itself a
symptom of overpopulation. This problem is getting more acute day
by day due to rapid population growth in terms of population density.
So, India is overpopulated.
However, a small minority of people see that India is not really overpopulated, it is a vast
country with abundant natural resources. This resource has not yet been fully utilized. They opine that,
if all resources were fully employed, India could sustain a larger population than it now has, and with
much greater comfort.
► Illiteracy: Illiteracy among the people was a serious concern for the successful functioning
of democracy in India on the eve of independence and it continues to be a major challenge. The level
of education of citizens is key to both the successful functioning of democracy and the socio-economic
development of a country. And perhaps, more importantly, it is an essential condition for human
dignity. But when India gained independence the state of formal literacy was almost deplorable. The
literacy rate in 1951 was only 18.33 percent and the female literacy rate was negligible at 8.9 percent.
Therefore, many feared that citizens would not be able to play their role effectively and meaningfully
exercise their right to vote, which is an individual expression of people's power.
Literacy not only enables citizens to participate in elections and exercise their right to vote
effectively, but also has other important implications. Literacy enables citizens to be aware of the
various problems, issues, needs and interests of the country. It makes them aware of the principles of
freedom and equality for all and ensures that the representatives elected by them truly represent all the
interests of the society. Universal literacy is therefore essential for the successful functioning of Indian

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democracy. Although the literacy rate has risen to 74.04 percent as of the 2011 census, the female
literacy rate still lags behind at 65.46 percent. This means that more than one-fourth of the country's
population is still illiterate and nearly one in three women are literate. The problem of illiteracy can be
checked if children have access to primary education. Recently, right to education has been provided
as a fundamental right. We hope this will help the cause of educating children universally.
► Poverty: Poverty is the serious problem faced by India after independence. It was existed
even before independence. This problem is considered as both social as well as economic problem. It
is existed not only due to economic condition of the nation, and also due

to the mindset of the people. It is caused due to illiteracy, population explosion, etc.

But by controlling the population explosion, by decentralizing industries, by spreading

education, we can prevent the poverty line in India.

The various measures taken by the government to mitigate poverty.: -

➢ The rural youth are provided with training to take up self- employment. BPL cards are issued
to the poor families.
➢ National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) has been
undertaken.
➢ Provision of Employment Programme to the rural landless
laborers.
➢ Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana and
other different schemes are taken to reduce poverty.

► Casteism: The caste system that arose out of the division of

labour in ancient societies evolved into a more or less rigid group
classification based on birth. Have you ever felt the role of caste in your
life and society? You will agree that the most harmful and dehumanizing
aspect of caste system is the practice of untouchability which continues despite the constitutional
prohibition imposed on it. This has led to the isolation of the so-called lower castes or 'Dalits', depriving
them of education and other social benefits. Dalits have traditionally been male laborers and do some
of the hard physical work in society. Racism has played a negative role even in democratic political
processes. In fact, casteism has become notorious as a strategy to exploit caste consciousness for
narrow political gains. Caste system works against the roots of democracy. Basic democratic privileges
such as equality, freedom of speech, expression and association, participation in electoral processes,
free press and press, and even legislative forums are abused to maintain racist identities.
Apartheid has also contributed to the perpetuation of socio-economic inequality. It is true that
India has been an unequal society since time immemorial. Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes
(ST) and Backward Classes have suffered socio-economic deprivation for ages. There is a lot of
inequality in our society which is posing serious challenges to Indian democracy.
More worrisome is the 'Politicization of Caste' and 'Politicization of Politics' mixing caste and
politics in contemporary Indian politics which poses a serious challenge to our democracy. Even in the
age of liberalization and globalization caste consciousness has not died out in our society and caste is
increasingly being used as a vote bank politics.

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 ► Communalism: Communalism and religious fundamentalism have assumed a very
dangerous form and alarming proportions in India. They disrupt the pattern of coexistence in our multi-
religious society. Communalism is an affront to India's nationalist identity and a devastating blow to
its thriving secular culture. It is destroying our democratic political stability and destroying our
glorious heritage of humanism and composite culture. Often, communalism is mistakenly used as a
synonym for religion or conservatism. Allegiance to any religion or attachment to any religious
community is not sectarianism.
Although conservatism represents social backwardness, it does not mean communalism either.
In fact, sectarianism is an ideology of political allegiance to a religious community. It uses one
religious’ community against another and considers other religious communities as its enemies. It is
against secularism and even humanism. One of the manifestations of communalism is communal riots.
Communalism has proved to be a great threat to our social and political life at various times in the
recent past as well.
► Religious Fundamentalism: Religious fundamentalism also employs communalists in both
religion and politics. In fact, fundamentalism serves as an ideology that advocates a return to orthodoxy
and strict adherence to the basic tenets of religion. Religious fundamentalists vehemently opposed
progressive reforms to establish their monopoly over their respective communities.
► Regionalism: Regionalism means supreme attachment to the state. It is the strong feeling
of people in favor of their local area. Linguistic bigotry also leads to regionalism. Extreme regionalism
harms national unity and interests. Extremism or the glory of regionalism hinders the unity of the
nation. The ongoing regional conflicts in different parts of the country also hinder the development of
the nation.
If extreme regionalism between states is allowed to continue, it will lead to serious inter-state
border disputes, river water disputes etc. Such narrowness based on regionalism works against national
interest.
To prevent regionalism, our Indian Constitution provides many remedial measures. Some of
them are as follows; -
➢ It emphasizes national unity and integrity by upholding single national citizenship.
➢ It provides enough space for regional development with the federal structure and
➢ The preamble of our constitution declares ‘’ We the people of India’’ and there by
stresses Indian nationalism.

► Corruption: Corruption is another social evil in Indian public life. Now corruption has
spread to all levels of society. Corruption means paying bribes and following any other illegal means
to gain some illegal advantage. It can also be defined as abuse of public authority for personal gain.
Throwing away all methods for a narrow personal gain can also be called corruption.
Political corruption leads to crime. It encourages corruption in lying to the public and fosters
maladministration on the part of officials. Corruption includes issues such as tax evasion, illegal
stockpiling, smuggling, economic crime, fraud, international exchange violations and employment
fraud.
It is impossible to eradicate corruption at the individual level by rejecting it or simply going
along with it. It can only be eradicated through strong public morality, ethics and personal

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commitment. At times, a natural human tendency for selfishness,
the pursuit of personal urgency leads to corruption.
► Criminalization of Politics: In recent years, the
criminalization of politics in India has become a controversial
issue. It has been alleged that there are elements in politics who
have no faith in democratic values and practices. They indulge in
violence and resort to other unhealthy, undemocratic methods to win elections. Undoubtedly, this is
not a healthy trend in politics and there is an urgent need to apply serious checks on such trends.
Criminalization of politics is an affront to democratic values and has no place in a democratic
system
. Democracy can be strengthened by adopting and promoting democratic values and avoiding
criminal activities.
Recently, the Judiciary, while taking the criminalization of politics seriously, has shown signs
of taking remedial measures to apply serious checks on such elements. The central government and
many state governments are taking steps to tackle this problem effectively. This is very satisfactory
and a healthy sign for the successful functioning of democracy in our country. We, as conscious
citizens and voters in the world's largest democracy, can contribute by discouraging people with
criminal backgrounds from contesting elections.
► Political Violence: Violence has been with us for a long time, but the use of violence for
political ends is dangerous to the existence of any system. In India we have witnessed various forms
of violence. Communal violence, ethnic violence and political violence in general have attained serious
proportions. Communal riots are driven by vested interests for political, religious and economic
reasons. Racial violence in various forms is on the rise. Despite developments such as agricultural
development, abolition of landlordism and the Green Revolution and White Revolution, there are still
strong feudal elements in the society. A serious conflict of interest has arisen between the upper and
middle castes and this has led to aggressive competition for political power which at times leads to
violence.
► Status of women: There are many inherent socio-economic factors which have degraded
their status, lack of education, has become a major obstacle in the advancement of women. Male
dominance, social norms, religious norms are also causes of loss of women's dignity.
The achievements of women in pre-independent India are remarkable. Rani Lakshmibai of
Jhansi, Rani Chennamma of Kitturu, Anibesanth, Kasurba Gandhi, Savitribai Phule, Sarojini Naidu
are some of the memorable women freedom fighters. Now women are present in all walks of life in
medicine, teaching, engineering, pilots, astronauts, police, politics, military and other fields. Still, the
status of women needs a lot of improvement. Due to social customs, poverty and illiteracy, the status
of women remains low. This has affected the progress of the
country.
Government has launched Women and Child
Development Department for women education and
development. Through, this health; Education and social
status of women improved. For women empowerment there
are women education, child marriage ban, dowry ban law etc.

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 Various cooperatives have been formed like women power
self-help groups, associations of self-help groups. Women's
commissions have been formed at the national and state levels to
address various issues of women. Attempts are made to provide
reservations in state and national legislative bodies. Women are also
reserved in government appointments.
► Unemployment: Unemployment is a situation where a
person cannot find work according to his qualifications or skills. India has a huge population and
unemployment is a big problem. Generally, large population and advanced technology are considered
as two causes of unemployment. Apart from these two, lack of natural resources, dependence on
agriculture, ruined cottage industry, lack of skill-based education, unemployment has become a major
problem. According to the 2011 census, the poverty rate is 21.9%. This indicates the growing problem
of unemployment in India.
► Terrorism: The areas where most terrorist activities occur are Jammu and Kashmir, Central
India and the Seven Sister States and Punjab. Pakistan has often been accused of sponsoring terrorism
in India.
► Poor voter turnout: Indian political parties are eagerly waiting for the 2014 national
elections next year. But are Indian citizens equally excited about casting their votes? As voting is not
a compulsory duty of the people, many of them do not exercise
this right and choose to stay at home and do other work on that
day.
► The Refugee Problem: The partition of India gave way
to the refugee problem. By mid-1948, about 5.5 million non-
Muslims had migrated to India, and a very large number of
Muslims had left India for Pakistan. According to the Government
of India, non-Muslims have left property worth Rs 500 crore in West Pakistan while the loss to
Muslims in India is Rs 100 crore.
► Origin of the Kashmir Problem: Maharaja Hari Singh was a Hindu while 75% of the
population was Muslim. Kashmir was strategically important to both India and Pakistan, however, the
famous movement led by Sheikh Abdullah led to its merger with India. The Maharaja, on the other
hand, feared democracy in India and communalism in Pakistan, thus hoping to remain independent.
► Linguistic Reorganization: The boundaries of British Indian provinces were randomly
drawn and redrawn without regard to cultural and linguistic coherence. Most of the provinces were
multilingual and multicultural and after independence many former states were merged into them.
Linguistically homogenous provinces were demanded.
► The Indus Water Dispute: The dispute began in the 1960s. The dispute arose because the
Indus and its tributaries flow through both India and Pakistan. Both West Pakistan and West India
depended on the Indus and its tributaries for water, power supply and irrigation. These rivers rise in
India and the canal system is also in India. The division cuts through a complex and integrated system
of canals.
► The Elections of 1967: Elections were held in February 1967. This time the popularity of
the Indian National Congress dropped significantly even though the INC won for the fourth time. The

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number of seats won was less. The reason behind the dismissal of
the Congress was the death of two prominent leaders, Jawaharlal
Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. The party also had internal
problems. The most important feature of the 1967 elections was
the consolidation of opposition parties.
► Naxal Movement: The Naxal movement was a
revolutionary movement started by the Naxalbaris of Bengal
Another group of Maoist themed activities in Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Naxals were mainly active
in two regions Telangana and Srikakulam bordering Odisha in both areas the areas of conflict were
land and forests.
► The main victims were tribals and farmers. The movement was violent. In Srikakulam, the
struggle was led by a school teacher. He led the tribals in a series of labor strikes, confiscating grain
from wealthy farmers and redistributing it to the needy. In Telangana, the struggle was led by a veteran
of the communist movement. Naxalites formed a new party called CPI-Maoist.
► Emergency: The government responded to the JP movement by declaring a national
emergency which was the biggest threat to India's democratic foundations. Economic conditions
deteriorated sharply from 1973, the combination of rising unemployment, rampant inflation and
shortages of basic food and essential goods creating a serious crisis.
► The Punjab Crisis: The separatist movement in
Punjab in the 80s posed the biggest threat to the unity and
integrity of India, as Punjab borders Pakistan. After partition,
the eastern part of the old Punjab province was now
predominantly inhabited by Sikhs and Hindus. Up to this time,
there had been little conflict between Hindus and Sikhs, but now
the Akali Dal started agitating for a "Punjabi Suba" – or a state
for the Sikhs – in Punjab.
In the elections, the Akali Dal could not secure a majority to form the government in Punjab
even after the formation of the Punjabi state. After losing the 1980 elections and seeking to expand
their base among the Sikhs, the Akali Dal started raising their demands. The failure of the movement
led the Akali Dal to resort to violence and initiate militancy in Punjab.
Congress came to power in 1980. From 1980 the Akali Dal under the leadership of Harcharan
Singh Longowal decided to take the path of conflict. He established the Golden Temple and started
spreading his separatist message.
Parallel to his movement, a new charismatic leader emerged among the Sikhs - Jarnail Singh
Bhindranwale, a radical preacher who preached violence and attracted widespread support. In 1978
his sermon sparked riots between Sikhs and followers of the Nirankari sect at the Golden Temple. The
terrorist movement led by Bhindranwale and Amrik Singh started with the killing of the head of the
Nirankari community.
► Operation Blue Star: In June 1984, Mrs. Gandhi and her advisers decided to take some
drastic measures against the militants at the Golden Temple. The Akali leadership was becoming very
militant and there were fears of rebellion in the countryside.

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 On 3rd June the Indian army led by General KS Brar
besieged the Golden Temple and on 5th June they entered. Many
temple employees and devotees died in the crossfire. Akal Takht
was destroyed and even the temple was damaged. Among the
dead were Bhindranwale (the terrorist leader of the Akali Dal)
and his followers.
Conclusion: Finally, it is very sad that after 66 years of independence our democracy has given
us some illiterate and corrupt ministers who are ready to do any kind of scam for their welfare. Our
autonomous agencies like CBI, Income Tax and Sales Tax Department, seem to be paper tigers to deal
with these scams and unfortunately are only acting on the directives of corrupt ministers. Some
politicians have tried to divide our country on religious lines to fill their vote bank which has given
rise to various communal violence. Due to these and many other activities Indian democracy has lost
its respect in the world. However, at the same time we must be lucky enough to live in a democratic
country like India because only democracy can provide us with equal rights and duties. Thanks to the
Constituent Assembly. It is equally true that India is the only country in the world where people are
united despite belonging to many religious, cultural and traditional backgrounds. So, finally I can say
that no government or country is perfect. There is nothing wrong with the Indian constitutional law, in
fact it is the duty of the citizens to actively participate in the work of the government and strive to
make their country perfect.

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 Bibliography:
1. Chandra Bipan, “India Since Independence”, Penguin Books, Noida, 2008
2. Bandyopadhyay Sekhar, “From Plassey to Partition and After A History of Modern India”,
Orient Blackswan Private Limited, New Delhi, 2022
3. Bakshi P.M., “The Constitution of India with selective comments”, Universal Law Publishing
Co. Pvt. Ltd, 1999
4. Nanda VR, “Indian Foreign Policy: The Nehru Years”, Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, India,
1976
5. Paul R. Brass, “The Politics of India Since Independence”, Cambridge University Press, India,
2003
6. Guha Ramchandra, “India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy”,
Picador India, 2017

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