“Democratic values have been in the DNA of Indians since centuries. The administration used to follow the suggestions made by the village panchayats. But today we do not think it necessary to even react on vital issues concerning the society and the governance. We relinquish our responsibility after just casting the vote, which only limits our role and involvement in the democratic set-up. This habit must change,” said senior journalist and former editor of India Today, Hindi edition, while presiding over a discussion on strengthening democratic values in Delhi on June 27. The discussion was organised by Bharatiya Matdata Sangathan to educate people about their duties towards strengthening democracy in the country.
Shri Upasane stressed the need that the voters must be vigilant and should repeatedly question their representatives at least on the promises that they make during elections. He applauded the initiative taken by Bharatiya Matdata Sanghthan to generate awareness among the voters and said the campaign should expand in other parts of the country also.
Senior journalist and editor of Delhi Press Group Shri Paresh Nath said just increase in vote percentage during polls is not sufficient. The voters must evaluate the candidate and his/her agenda for the people and the nation. “If we are not able to generate this kind of awareness among the voters the objective of strengthening the democracy will remain incomplete and even 100 per cent polling will prove to be meaningless,” he added. He said after casting the vote we must keep a watch on the activities of the government and the public representatives. “Therefore, casting vote is just the first step, not the last,” he added. Shri Rikhab Chand Jain, chairman of TT Limited and president of Bharatiya Matdata Sanghthan, described people’s awareness as the fifth pillar of democracy. He said good people are today reluctant from democracy, which too creates a problem. He stressed the need that politicians should have no place in Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils, rather the experts from different fields should be there to keep a watch on the wrong deeds of politicians. He said the political differences of politicians create hindrance in smooth business in the Rajya Sabha. He expressed concern over the growing number of criminals in the Parliament and State legislatures. He said the voters can play a key role in cleaning the politics.
On this occasion a resolution was unanimously passed appealing to the voters and the government to ensure at least 95 per cent voting and e-voting facility for all respectively. The proposal also demanded implementation of election reforms and regulatory mechanism for the
political parties.
(July 19, 2015 Page : 50)
