(Democratic Politics – I)

Question 1:
Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you
classify each of these countries. Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not sure’ against each
of these.
(a) Country A: People who do not accept the country’s official religion do not have a right to
vote
Answer: Undemocratic
(b) Country B: The same party has been winning elections for the last twenty years
Answer: Not sure
(c) Country C: Ruling party has lost in the last three elections
Answer: Democratic
(d) Country D: There is no independent election commission
Answer: Undemocratic

Question 2:
Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you
classify each of these countries. Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not sure’ against each
of these.
(a) Country P: The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of the
Chief of Army
Answer: Undemocratic
(b) Country Q: The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the judiciary
Answer: Democratic
(c) Country R: The country’s leaders cannot sign any treaty with another country without taking
permission from its neighbouring country.
Answer: Undemocratic
(d) Country S: All the major economic decisions about the country are taken by officials of the
central bank which the ministers cannot change.
Answer: Undemocratic

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Question 3:
Which of these is not a good argument in favour of democracy? Why?
(a) People feel free and equal in a democracy
(b) Democracies resolve conflict in a better way than others
(c) Democratic government is more accountable to the people
(d) Democracies are more prosperous than others
Answer: Economic prosperity depends on many factors; like availability of natural resources,
quality of human resources, finance, geopolitical scenario, etc. A particular form of
government is some role to play, so it cannot be seen as a good argument in favour of
democracy.
Question 4:
Each of these statements contains a democratic and an undemocratic element. Write out the
two separately for each statement.
(a) A minister said that some laws have to be passed by the parliament in order to conform to
the regulations decided by the World Trade Organisation.
Answer: The fact that the laws need to be passed by the parliament is democratic, while
conformation to the WTO regulations is undemocratic.
(b) The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large scale rigging
was reported.
Answer: Re-polling is democratic, while rigging is undemocratic.
(c) Women’s representation in the parliament has never reached 10 per cent. This led women’s
organisations to demand one-third seats for women.
Answer: Poor level of women’s representation is undemocratic, while the demand for one-
third seats is democratic.

Question 5:
Which of these is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a
democratic country?
(a) Opposition parties can draw attention to hunger and starvation.
(b) Free press can report suffering from famine in different parts of the country.
(c) Government fears its defeat in the next elections.
(d) People are free to believe in and practise any religion.
Answer: (d) People are free to believe in and practise any religion.

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Question 6:
There are 40 villages in a district where the government has made no provision for drinking
water. These villagers met and considered many methods of forcing the government to respond
to their need. Which of these is not a democratic method?
(a) Filing a case in the courts claiming that water is part of right to life.
(b) Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.
(c) Organising public meetings against government’s policies.
(d) Paying money to government officials to get water.

Answer: (d) Paying money to government officials to get water.

Question 7:
Write a response to the following arguments against democracy:
(a) Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore
army should rule the country.
Answer: Army officers are not elected by people and hence an army rule would be
undemocratic.

(b) Rule of the majority means the rule of ignorant people. What we need is the rule of the
wise, even if they are in small numbers.
Answer: Democracy is based on the idea of universal adult franchise. Restricting the rulers
from a small section comprising of ‘wise’ people would defeat the purpose of representational
democracy.

(c) If we want religious leaders to guide us in spiritual matters, why not invite them to guide
us in politics as well. The country should be ruled by religious leaders.
Answer: Religious leaders are not elected by people and hence a country should not be ruled
by religious leaders.

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 (Democratic Politics – I)

Question 8:
Are the following statements in keeping with democracy as a value? Why?
(a) Father to daughter: I don’t want to hear your opinion about your marriage.
In our family children marry where the parents tell them to.
Answer: In this case, the daughter does not have the freedom of choice, hence this is
undemocratic.

(b) Teacher to student: Don’t disturb my concentration by asking me questions in the

(c) Employee to the officer: Our working hours must be reduced according to the law.
Answer: The employee is asking for a fundamental right and hence it is democratic.

Question 9:
Consider the following facts about a country and decide if you would call it a democracy. Give
reasons to support your decision.
(a) All the citizens of the country have right to vote. Elections are held regularly.
Answer: Regular elections and universal adult franchise are two important features of a
democracy and hence this is a democratic situation.

(b) The country took loan from international agencies. One of the conditions for giving loan
was that the government would reduce its expenses on education and health.
Answer: An international agency should not interfere in the internal matters of a country.
Hence this is undemocratic.

(c) People speak more than seven languages but education is available only in one language,
the language spoken by 52 percent people of that country.
Answer: This is an example where majority view is being imposed and hence is undemocratic.

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(d) Several organisations have given a call for peaceful demonstrations and nationwide strikes
in the country to oppose these policies. Government has arrested these leaders.

Answer: Democratic government should provide the right to protest. The government is
denying such right to its citizens and hence is undemocratic.

(e) The government owns the radio and television in the country. All the newspapers have to
get permission from the government to publish any news about government’s policies and
protests.
Answer: Freedom of media is very important for a democracy. This is an undemocratic
example.

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10. Write an essay on ‘Democracy and Poverty’ using the information given in this
report but using examples from India.

Answer:

Democracy and poverty have been inextricably linked in India ever since her birth.
Political independence of our country had been achieved through mass participation
of the rural poor in the national movement. However, and unfortunately, since then
this rural poor mass of the Indian population has seen its influence shrink in national
politics. As decade by decade India has cultivated its resources and added to its
national financial wealth, the rich have grown richer, and the poor have grown
abysmally poorer. We have the distinction of being the largest democracy in the
world, but we are also one of the world’s poorest countries, with gaping economic
cleavages within our society.

The inequality of income is a concern that gets reflected directly in the operation of
the democratic process of our republic. Research has firmly established the fact that
though the majority of Indian voters come from the rural Indian hinterland, their
influence on their elected representatives and on the whole, on the process of
national policy making is shrinking with each passing year. On the other hand, the
richer sections of our society, though they do not necessarily vote or have any
discernible concern for their civic responsibilities, exercise leverage on the
policymaking in this country grossly disproportionate to their actual size in the
population.

Moreover, the culture of corporate funding of political parties has fast spawned its
offspring in the realms of the government establishment. It has made political
parties and their leaders less dependent on their actual electorate and has allowed
them to ignore the real concerns of the public like agrarian reforms, fine tuning of the
Public Distribution System, agricultural subsidies and educational reforms.

To encapsulate, as we take pride in us being the largest democracy in the world, it is