Explain which four guidelines should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.
No doubt, law has an important role to play in political reform. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage goodness.
- But legal constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy.
- Democratic reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements and politically conscious citizens.
- Any legal changes must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes, the result may be counter productive. For example; many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting panchayat elections. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women which was not intended. The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.
- The Right to Information Act, 2005 is a good example of law that empowers the people
to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdog of democracy. Such a law helps to control corruption. - Democratic reforms are to be brought about principally through political practice. Therefore, the main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practice. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens.
- Any proposal for political reform should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how. Measures that rely on democratic movements, citizen’s organisations and the media are likely to succeed.