Nayar finds the role played by caste, religion, money is crucial during election in India, which he finds distressing.
SAN FRANCISCO, USA: This is with reference to Kuldip Nayar’s article “Indian democracy’s hidden flaws” (March 12). The writer says that the role played by caste, religion and money is crucial during election time in India, something which he finds highly distressing. Here it should be noted that in a democracy, a society’s good and bad aspects come to the fore readily. The Indian voter has multiple overlapping sub-identities other than his/her pan-Indian identity. These sub-identities, include those based on language, region, religion and caste, with each of them playing its part during election time. You cannot expect that pan-Indian identity to completely override these undercurrents in a pluralistic society. It is only hoped that as democracy in India matures and the electorate becomes increasingly literate, dynastic dominance in politics will recede, which is the real problem facing the country’s politics today.
Rajeev Nidumolu
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2012.
