The political process and socialization of
Indian society had been started in British Raj through the social, political
and economical changes. The British system brought some changes and gave new
shape to the Indian society. The establishment of Indian National Congress in
1885 was the bench mark in political history of India. Last more than two hundred years political
socialization and participation of Indian society is going on towards new phase
and it became a part of the global society. Our system consist so many aspects
like caste, creed, upper, lower, Hindu, Non-Hindu, Left, Right, Congress, BJP, Communist and
Non- Communist. These all aspects are actually strength of our system because
they play crucial role in the political process. Every election time, one of
the above aspects gives his major contribution to the system. And truly this system was developed by
political parties, leaders, and workers. Also political scantiest, thinkers,
and critiques gave their contributions to the political system.
The Oxford University Press published one
volume on all above aspects and tries to evaluate the political process with
help of political thinkers, writers and critiques in 2010. This volume published
under the title The Oxford Companion on
Politics of India edited by Niraja Gopal Jayal and Pratap Bhanu
Mehhta. This book made the historical
contributions to our political system. The book consist main eight parts from
the Institutional setting to Ways looking at Indian Politics. The Part-III of the book is Political process
who discussed on Politics and Culture, Political Mobilization, Political
Leadership, and Local Politics. After reviewing this part, I have chosen the
article of Ramchandra Guha’s on a ‘Political leadership’.
Ramchandra Guha is well-known as historian and
contemporary political writer. He wrote
several books, like, India after Gandhi,
India before Gandhi, Makers of Modern India. In this book, Ramchandra Guha focuses on
various aspects and issues Indian Political leadership. He took the review of
Indian Leadership from first general election 1952. First general election
contested in between Congres and Non-Congress parties. The Congress party faced
the election under the leadership of Pandit Nehru. Non-Congress parties like,
Socalist, Communist, Ramrajya Parishad and Jan Sangh played the opposite role
agniest Congress. The Congress party
won the election with thumbing majority in the Loksabha. After the election, Socalist party
was split in between several groups. In this election each party had
charismatic leaders like, B. R. Ambedkar,
Jayprakash Narayan, J.B. Krupalani, and Shyamaprasad Mookerjee. But Indian
voters gave their support to Congress and Pandit Nehru. The Congress party and Nehru had a background
of freedom struggle and after independent Nehru led the country as Prime
Minister of interim government. The writer noted that Nehru also thought in
terms of programme and plan; the Planning Commission was never more important
than in his day. All in all he was a political leader whose style can perhaps
be described as ‘national –constitutionalist’. On the other hand, the style of
India’s other long –serving Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi is more accurately
described as ‘national populist’. Like Nehru, she took as their theatre of
operation the country as whole- notably; she led the Congress party to victory
in three general elections. However, she paid far less respect to the formal
institutions of constitutional democracy. Indira Gandhi’s time PMO office was
dominated on other constitutional bodies.
The writer also touched to other populist leaders like Sheikh Abdulla
from J&K, C, N.Annadurai from state of Tamil Nadu, Master Tara Singh from Punjab.
And he noted that these leaders came forward from their regions and identities
of language. Later on the leadership of M.G.Ramchandran in Tamil Nadu and
N.T.Ramarao from A.P established in their own states from film industry. The writer noted that E.M.S. Naboodripad and
Jyoti Basu came in to the power from communist background and they are
essentially ‘regional’ leaders and successes to establish in their states.
According
to Guha, after independence B.J.P. is most successful party on the base
religion and he took the review more focused on growth of B.JP. Before the BJP,
Jan Sangh was the party worked for Hindu politics under guidance of Rashtriya
Swaymsewak Sangh (RSS).Before 1977; Jan Sangh had limited scope in the national
politics. In emergency time the Jan Sangh leaders were arrested along with
Socalist leaders. The Jan Sangh was merging
in the Janata party and first time this
group won the victory in Ninety seats in the north region and party turns in to
new phase of national politics. The Janata party was split on the problem of
dual membership of Jan Sangh leaders. Jan Sangh leaders had background of RSS
and they wanted to continue with them. Finally, Socalist and left leaders
opposed to Jan Sangh leaders and lastly Janata govt.was collapse in the center
in 1979. After that Jan Sangh leaders came out from Janata Party and
established new party as Bhartiya Janata
Party in 1980. The BJP faced 1984 general election after Indira Gandhi’s tragic
death but not successes. All party leaders were lost the election. The BJP got
the growth after the decision of Supreme Court on Shabanu case and Babari
Mashid problem. BJP opened Hindu card politics and got a victory in 1989
general election. The party leader L.K. Advani took ‘Rath Yatra’ from Somnath
to Ayodhya and he mobilized the Hindu votes and politics. After 1991 election
BJP became the major opposite party in the national politics. BJP got the power
at the Center with the help of other Non-Congress parties in 1996 after that
1998 onwards. BJP government was sustaining up to 2004
under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A BJP and its alliance NDA was
not successful in 2009 general election.
This article also discussed on OBCs and
jati-varna politics of India. In the 1950, B.R.Ambedkar tried to build a
political platform for Dalit; in the 1960 the Socalist leader Dr. Lohia
attempted to do the same for OBCs and he got a limited success in the said
efforts. After implementation Mandal Commission report the OBC politics became
the valuable things in the politic. A dalit leader Kanshi Ram established Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) after his death; party was led by Myawati in north region of
India. Likewise, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s
Samajwadi Party and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janta Dal have projected
themselves as parties that represented the interest of backward caste against
the forwards. And these two parties were
successful in some limit.
After the independence the Congress party was
lost the election in 1977 only because of resistance and movement of Jayprakash
Narayan. A writer also discussed this important episode in the detail. J.P had the background of freedom fighter and
founder member of Samajwadi Party. After the first election, J.P went to
Sarvoday movement along with Vinobha Bhave.
In 1972, the students of Gujarat started hesitation angist the
corruption and this movement spread in the state of Bihar. In 1974 this
movement turns in to national movement and JP became the leader of students and
youngsters. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi lost the battle in
Allahabad High court. On 25th June 1975, Indira Gandhi declared the
emergency and arrested to several opposition leaders including J.P. She banned on the news papers and imposed new
laws like MISSA to crush the movement of J.P.The lakes of people and political
workers arrested under the MISSA. In 1977, the emergency was lifted and fresh
election called. J.P toke efforts and he established new Janata Party and he
became main campaigner and won the election.
The first time, Non-Congress government came in to power.
A writer analyzed political
leadership in terms of sociology and ideology. Ideology leaders have a social
base and their ideas and policies used to legitimatize his or her leadership.
These type leaders spend their whole life for specific ideology and policies.
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was one of the example. And second example of M..S Golwalkar
who devoted his life for Hindu rashtra. Golwalkar did not contest any election
but he gave strength to Jan Sangh for his ideology. The second category of
‘charisma, where charismatic leaders are the ‘bears of specific gifts of body
and mind that were considered “supernatural”. Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, these leaders were
included in this category. Also he mentioned others name like Sheikh Abdulla,
Bal Thackeray. Last more than sixty five years it is seen that sometimes
charismatic leaders getting success in the election and some social and
political movement get the important in election time.
This article has done the good
contribution on the leadership issue. But he could not touch the other problem
of leadership like weakness of leadership, personality problem of leaders, a
programme and agenda of leaders. These are important factors for development of
any kind of political leadership which cannot be neglected.
Dr. Sanjay Ratnaparakhi
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