Newton’s
third law states that to every action there is always an equal and opposite
reaction. It would have been easy to understand the polity of
nation-states had the laws of sciences been applicable in their exact form. Since
the public sentiment and popular opinion are quite-a-ways from science, these principles do apply
but in the modified form. Let us examine how!
If
the action taken by an individual/institution directly or indirectly affects
another individual B, the response to that action is largely expected to be
delineated, identifiable, spontaneous and capable of articulation. However, if
this action had the potential of affecting a huge mass of people, as large as a
billion, the reaction in the early stages is not only unpredictable; it is
also, diffused and chaotic. Such reactions take a considerable time to become cohesive
and organized.
This
is exactly the case in the Indian polity of today. If there is one pattern that
cannot be denied, it is the mass awakening of the people in understanding the
issues affecting them, based on a broader understanding of their own rights and
entitlements. This level of awareness was certainly not present till two
decades ago. We can owe the phenomenon to the greater literacy levels, better
communication, emergence of a dominant civil society and the influence of mass
media. Though the process was slow, but what seems to be coming out of it is
the better articulated public opinion.
From
major to minor goof-ups, public eye is on the every issue and nothing can be
dismissed as insignificant until the populace of this country itself stamps it
as unworthy of consideration. It is truly agreed that the level of corruption
that we witness today was unimaginable a decade ago. But what was also
unimaginable was this level of public reaction to the mismanagement by government.
We are slowly transforming to a society where media or civil society is no more
needed as the pressure groups to convey the discontent of the people because
public opinion itself is acting as a pressure group on the government. And no,
this is not a revolution where the entire system and its existence are
challenged. It is a reform process where the SOP and intention of decision
making is challenged. It is not something alarming because it is essentially a
democratic awakening.
The
kind of extensive discussions that take place today have in a lot of ways made
governance more difficult because of the greater demand for transparency.
People are more aware of their rights, duties, entitlements and the lacunae in
their implementation. Indisputably, all of it is supported by vast multitude of
media presenting wide-ranging points of view even if they go against the
incumbent government.
There
is a definite change in the behavioral norms of the people towards a more
demanding citizenry. However, as Jean Dreze
and Amartya Sen mention in their recent work “An Uncertain Glory: India and its
Contradictions”, what a democratic system achieves depends largely on what
issues are brought into political engagement. There are certain issues that
immediately grab public attention while others do not. For e.g. the conscience of the nation was stirred after
the Dec 16 gang rape case or in the recent case of sexual assault on a photojournalist
in Mumbai; what never made as much impact was the similar brutalities on the
socially and economically downtrodden Dalit women for years. The country was incensed
about the gigantic power failure on 30-31st July 2012 where
600million people were left without electricity; what was never discussed that
200million of these 600million never had electricity.
The
growth phenomenon that we talk about hasn’t really percolated to the bottom of
the society. It has certainly touched the middle classes but not the underprivileged
sections of the society. The National Sample Survey data suggests that average
per capita expenditure in the rural areas rose at the rate of just 1% per year
between 1993-94 and 2009-10 and even in urban areas, at the rate of just 2% per
year in the same period. It is a common knowledge that even inflation has been
atleast 4times the mentioned percentage levels in the same period. So our poor are
substantially worse off than before. What we need is to bring their issues and
problems to the forefront with far more vigor and strength.
The
trends in the country with respect to sensitization and reaction to the social,
political and economic issues are healthy. What is awaited is a more inclusive
approach to the problems affecting the disadvantaged and the underprivileged who,
unfortunately, constitute the majority!
