India got Independence on August 15, 1947. A day before, India was divided and Pakistan was created on the basis of Islamic religion.
Unlike Pakistan, India (the truncated India) chose to have a democratic, secular polity. A Constituent Assembly drafted the Constitution and the same was adopted on November 26, 1949. Dr BR Ambedkar did the major work and he clarified all crucial points to make India a great democracy. The new Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950.
At that point of time, India’s population was 35 crore. Meanwhile, the population of India has swelled to 142 crore. So we have crores of people living below the poverty line. This happened due to poor leadership of the Congress party.
Many elections have been held. Many Governments have come and gone. The real problems of the people have not yet been well attended to. Economic disparity has gone up and up. We have, no wonder, an Indian by name Mukesh Ambani who lives in a house that is worth Rs 12,000 crore.
On the other hand, a house meant for a homeless Indian under the PMAY (Prime Minister Awas Yojan) costs only Rs 1,75,000. The gap between the rich and the poor is quite obvious from this.
To make every Indian happy we need to have the following 5-Point Action Programme and the same should be immediately implemented before the 2024 general and Assembly elections.
1. The word 'socialism' is there in the Preamble of the Constitution of India since the days of internal Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But this term has lost its meaning because of concentration of huge wealth in the hands of few individuals like Mukesh Ambani and Goutam Adani. The road to socialism must be well laid by socialist economists.
2. Article 28(1) of the Indian Constitution says no religious instruction shall be provided in an academic institution that is wholly maintained out of State funds. This is being ignored all over India by all political parties including Congress, BJP, BJD etc. Ganesh Puja and Saraswati Puja are going on in all Government schools, colleges and universities. Even in Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Rath Yatra is conducted every year. The VC does the Chhera Pahanra work like the Gajapati of Puri.
3. Freedom of Speech and Expression as given under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constituion is under great threat. Critics are being harassed. Critics who are critical of the Prime Minister Modi are being given threats. They are being mailed with abusive words. Defamation cases, worth of Rs 1,000 crore are being slapped against all those who are critical of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani.
4. There is no political justice per se in India. We must have mixed proportional representation (MPR) system of election of New Zealand or Nepal, instead of the Fast- Past- the- Post (FPTP). Our democracy is a faulty one because we do not have yet the PR System of Election for our Lok Sabha and Assemblies. Why should the BJP rule India with 37% of votes ? Why should BJD rule Odisha with 42% of votes ? These questions are vital. This is not being addressed by the parties that have come together under the INDIA Bloc, determined to dislodge the Modi Government.
5. Right to Life as given under Article 21 is not being honoured in any State or Union Territory of the Indian Union. Lovers are being killed by caste-creed-minded parents. So love marriage centres should be established at the Panchayat level all over India to remove the dirty caste system and Brahminism. Lovers should marry by exchange of garlands. Couples should not be made to pay any money for their marriage registration. Such marriages should be free of dowry, priest, Bhoji-Bhat (banquet), Bana-Baja (cracker explosion) and Bara Yatri Dal (groom's party).
(The writer, a former Professor of Political Science, is general secretary, Freethought Party of India)
