Clientelism

 

Clientelism in Indian politics

Indian political character is coined by new terminology - “Clientelism” to which it’s mass is still uncomfortable. Sharp changes of behaviours in Indian voters have been seen emerged, where spirit of democracy is totally redefined with gluttonous materialism. The system practiced in ancient Rome ‘Clientelism’ is seemed to be appropriate example for explaining the modern face of our democracy. French political theorists described that as Practice of Emperors, who used to offer gift to public and gain loyalty from them. Today votes are purchased and corporate driven political parties have founded the practice of offering reward in return of single votes. Votes are not casted for any good reason relating to national or regional policy on economy, education, agriculture, society etc. Votes for reward and whoever has that capacity to offer, he or she wins the election. Voters have their own reason to justify their changed behavior also and they say that, if politicians are not honest then how voters can be? New management concept has entered into the spirit of politics and elections are today nothing but a game of management skill. Big parties can afford engagement of multi-skilled and costly groups for research, policy and management, which small parties cannot. Era of Ideology or Ism based politics is over and purely growth based politics has ushered, where meaning of development is only co-opted unrefined. 

Couple of decades back a gentleman approached me and explained about idea for a new policy where voters also should have right to be paid money for giving votes to any party or any person. The matter was totally weird for me and I disagreed to agree the idea. In later stage that gentlemen formed a political party, which could work nowhere in India but in Bodoland area of Assam only. Things are defined in different ways but practices are not, because reward for vote is not a policy of the nation but practice of political parties. In business literature, that is common that where competitions are high and tuff, money power plays the last game. In our democracy also multi-party system is taking political battle to a war of power. You may win election for once, but sustaining in the same becomes game of money power in the next. Traditional thinkers Indian may not be comfortable with that development, but that is a truth that unless you get patronage of the big corporate houses, no election can be won. Mandate is patronized by multiple power houses; democracy is designed according to their needs and willingness.

Rich section never wants any ideology or ism of equality to prevail in any political system because, for them, totalitarian is the best system. They patronage parties and voters for their best interests only, not for public at large. One can take what is provided by them and remain within the level set by them, but can never dream of becoming providers. Equality and socialistic theories are now like a fancy idea that can never come into reality. Class as defined in terms of economic status, has created class divide of human society. Later religious superiority and inferiority theories created caste and creed system and now in modern age of technology digital divide has brought a new kind of classes in the society. No one can raucously say that the democracy is in peril totally, because it itself is passing through a changing phases of time. It cannot be stagnant theory; the new economic order will always redesign and redefine the mottos of our democracy. But fact is that human division on the basis of Social Stratum, Economic Class and Digital Divide will never go out of our mental physical jurisdiction. Power can emerge from any ideology and ism and that can command society keeping certain section on the top. Current affairs of Indian democracy is like a race where powerful horses are running with extra ordinary speed keeping other animals far behind.