IS THIS HOW A DEMOCRACY WORKS
The recent statements of the Law and Justice Minister ,Ravi Shankar Prasad ,of the government giving “sanctity” to a particular minority group even when they didn’t vote for the principal ruling party has opened a Pandora box of questions on the way a democracy works.
First and foremost the promise of the present government was inclusive development but this statement raises the question of favoring a particular group of minority.
Secondly in a democratic set up is it not the choice of an individual to decide to whom he castes his vote? The statement can be interpreted as an ominous sign that incase one doesn’t vote for the present government in future it may face consequences.
Thirdly how does the minister know the people of one particular minority not vote for them? It seems he is privy to the details of the way people vote. This in turn raises questions about the credibility of the EC which stresses that the whole process of voting is kept secret.
Fourthly wouldn’t it have been more proper for the law minister to reach out to this particular group and understand their concern and seek to address them?
Last but not the least can a case of executive overreach be made against the present government regarding its claims of providing “sanctity” because it’s the Constitution of India which guarantees its citizens the right to social and economic justice .The government is a body which seeks to fulfill this guarantee.
A possible explanation to all the questions is that the Law minister is ill versed in the guidelines laid down by the Constitution. Either that or he seems to have forgotten how a democratically elected form of government works.
The irony of the situation would be making founding fathers turn in their graves.