Our continuing struggle for a working democracy

WE have celebrated the 40th anniversary of our independence. This was achieved through a long struggle and a liberation war in which countless lives were sacrificed. What was achieved was the result of healthy and pro-people politics and dedicated political parties. Popular political parties had in the past drawn their strength from dedicated leaders and workers, whose sincerity and sacrifice had built up grassroots organisations.
Popular mass-based organisations empowered ordinary people which provided the strength to launch and sustain mass movements. The Constitution adopted in 1972, declared that power belongs to the people providing that power could be exercised in a working democracy through truly elected representatives at every level — from the national Parliament to the union Parishad.
That basic goal of a working democracy has proved to be elusive as assassinations and coups have assailed the Constitution. Political parties began to reflect the changing notion of politics. Parties began to be created from the top. Patronage and corruption became means of mustering support. The united popular movement of the 80s had sought to restore democratic practices and values. The success of that movement made it possible for parliamentary democracy to be formally restored in 1991.