सहभागिता के बिना अधूरा है लोकतंत्र का मकसद

शनिवार सात जुलाई की संध्या सहभाग ने एक और पड़ाव पार किया। सहभागी लोकतंत्र यानी 'पार्टिसिपेट्री डेमोक्रेसी' के लिए प्रतिबद्घ इस संस्था के अनवरत सफर के सहयात्री बने वरिष्ठï पत्रकार विपुल मुदगल ने सहभाग से जुड़े 'सहभागियों' को अपने अनुभवों से रूबरू कराया। उनकी विशुद्घ अनुभवजन्य बातों से यही बात सामने आई कि सहभागी लोकतंत्र की अवधारणा को ग्रंथों को खंगालने और अकादमिक गलियारों में टहलने के बजाय विशुद्घ अनुभव से कहीं बेहतर तरीके से समझा जा सकता है।

निश्चित रूप से आधुनिक समाज का आधार लोकतंत्र है और जन द्वारा जन के लिए विकसित की गई यही प्रणाली ही निर्विवाद रूप से सबसे बेहतर है। परंतु लोकतंत्र की सफलता बिना सहभागिता के संदिग्ध ही होती है। लोकतंत्र में जब तक लोक यानी जन सहभागी नहीं होंगे तब तक उसके मकसद को हासिल नहीं किया जा सकता है। सहभागी लोकतंत्र पर जोर देते हुए मुदगल ने कहा, 'लोकतंत्र में जन की सहभागिता के बिना उसे सफल नहीं बनाया जा सकता।' नीति निर्माण में स्थानीय तत्त्वों को शामिल किए जाने की वकालत करते हुए उन्होंने बताया, 'आपको सत्ता का विकेंद्रीकरण करना ही होगा और नीति निर्माण में स्थानीय लोगों को शामिल करना होगा।'

संयुक्त प्रगतिशील गठबंधन (संप्रग) सरकार की ध्वजवाहिका योजना महात्मा गांधी राष्टï्रीय ग्रामीण रोजगार गारंटी अधिनियम (मनरेगा) का हवाला देते हुए उन्होंने बताया कि आपको स्थानीय जरूरतों के हिसाब से आवंटित कोष के उपयोग की आजादी देनी होगी। उनके अनुसार केंद्र की कई योजनाएं ऐसी होती हैं जिनका कई गांवों में कोई उपयोग नहीं होता, ऐसे में सोशल ऑडिटर्स के सामने बड़ी समस्या होती है क्योंकि वहां जो काम होता है वह मनरेगा के तहत अधिसूचित नहीं होता। इसलिए उन्होंने स्थानीय जरूरत के हिसाब से नीति निर्माण की बात की।

तमिल नाड़ के एक इलाके का उदाहरण देते हुए उन्होंने बताया कि वहां महिलाएं किस तरह सैनेटरी नैपकिन बनाने के कामकाज से जुड़ी हैं जो न केवल किफायती है बल्कि रोजगार सृजन के साथ-साथ स्वास्थ्य से भी जुड़ा हुआ है। इसे भी उन्होंने एक तरह के सहभागी लोकतंत्र की मिसाल बताया जो महिलाओं को जागरूक बनाने के साथ-साथ उन्हें आर्थिक रूप से सशक्त भी बना रहा है।

सहभागी लोकतंत्र के साथ ही मुदगल ने सामाजिक पूंजी निर्माण यानी सोशल कैपिटल फॉर्मेशन को भी बेहद जरूरी बताया। उन्होंने कहा कि इस मामले में सरकार की मिड डे मील योजना बेहद प्रभावशाली रही है। इसमें तमाम गड़बडिय़ों की बात स्वीकार करते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि फिर भी यह योजना बेहद लाभकारी साबित हुई है। इसी तरह मनरेगा में व्याप्त भ्रष्टाचार की बाबत उन्होंने कहा कि चाहे जो भी बात की जाए इसे महज इन बातों के चलते खारिज नहीं किया जा सकता है क्यूंकि इस योजना में वे लोकतंत्र को एक्शन में देख रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि मनरेगा समावेशी विकास में अहम भूमिका अदा कर रही है। - प्रणव सिरोही

Sahbhag's Second Public Event

09 February 2011: Sahbhag, in association with Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), organised an interaction with Janata Party President and eminent scholar Dr Subramanian Swamy on

“The Significance Of Fighting Against Corruption” at Arts Faculty, Delhi University.

Dr Subramanian Swamy, whose PIL in the Supreme Court pushed the issue of irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation auction to the political centrestage, addressed students of Delhi University at the event. The Harvard-trained economist and scholar explained the intricacies of the alleged 2G scam and also gave a detailed account of his initiatives to ensure that the law caught up with those responsible for misuse of public money. He told the gathering that mechanisms and institutions that were formed to ensure the smooth functioning of democracy in India continued to be strong and that people must not lose faith in them.


He inspired young students to rise to the occasion by adding that each one of us has the right and means to fight against corruption and therefore we mist fight. People must approach the courts fearlessly, for example, and must shed the general pessimist view that our systems do not work, Dr Swamy added. He also opined that time was ripe for a people’s movement on the lines of the movement that the country witnessed under the stewardship of Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan, the founder of Janata Party, in the 1970s. Dr Swamy also declared at the event that he would not spare any effort to ensure that everybody involved with mass siphoning of public money in India in the past few years, not least in the 2G scam, was brought to book.

Senior journalist Ram Bahadur Rai also expressed his views on why Indian youth should continue its fight against this menace. He opined that certain vested interests were working overtime to gradually weaken India’s hallowed institutions and therefore the aam aadmi must fight to ensure the revamp of our institutions, so that the democratic process could be strengthened.


Institutions like Sahbhag could play a monumental role in ensuring the success of this struggle, he added.

Addressing the students, DUSU President Jitender Chaudhary also agreed that fighting against corruption was indeed the need of the hour. He also expressed his commitment towards playing a pro-active role in the society’s fight against corruption.

B Sanjay, a journalist and senior functionary of Sahbhag, told the gathering that to talk about empowerment of the masses and not fight for preventing siphoning of public money was mere lip service.


Thanking everybody who made the event take shape, Bhawna Arya Bajaj, President, Sahbhag observed that it was time for one and all, especially the youth, to think beyond themselves, their families and their careers and focus their energies to fight against corruption.

Not only students, but lecturers of Delhi University also attended the event, which ended with a Q&A-based interaction between Dr. Swamy and the audience.

Invitation to Sahbhag's Event on Fight Against Corruption

Sahbhag's First Seminar

When Ved Marwah was serving as the governor of Mizoram, he came to Delhi once to attend a governors' conference. A senior bureaucrat happened to introduce Marwah to another bureaucrat and said," Meet . Ved P. Marwah, Governor of Nagaland." Marwah objected to it and corrected the gentleman, saying, hesitatingly, that he was the governor of Mizoram and not Nagaland. It is hard to discern, whether the bureaucrat’s reply to this correction offered by Marwah was his attempt at being humorous or it was a testimony to the general perception about the North East. His profound reply was, "Kya fark parta hai, ek hi baat toh hai (what difference does it make, for they are one and the same.)"

The seven states in India's North East have quite often been looked upon as a single entity. So how do you expect people who can not even differentiate between seven different states to know what their problems are, let alone understand those problems? This was one of the several facets to the North East problem that were discussed at a seminar, organised on February 17, by Centre For Democratic Research. The centre is the research wing of Sahbhag, an organisation that works for strengthening democracy.

The seminar focussed on evolving an understanding of the various threads that make up the socio-political fabric of the North Eastern states. With elections in three of the states in the region round the corner, the aim was to put under the scanner, various claims of free and fair elections and peace and progress, made by the government, political parties and other pressure groups. Introducing the topic, General Secretary of Sahbhag, Charu Kartikeya, said that after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, it had become clear that there is an external force which is trying to create instability in the region. Keeping this and certain other factors in mind, concern arises whether the upcoming elections woulds be held in a free and fair manner.

Marwah’s years of experience as Governor of two different states in the region were very helpful as he informed the seminar participants of the forces at play there. He corroborated what studies have been saying for a very long time now, that throughout the country there is a general apathy towards the seven states and their people. Corruption was also rampant in the region, with the former Governor himself recalling government projects regarding which his investigations revealed a 100% siphoning of funds.

Senior journalist, Ram Bahadur Rai, turned the compass to point solely towards the political aspects of the problem. He wondered what kind of a democracy was this, where the party coming to power at the centre also determined what type of government would be formed in these states. As Marwah, who presided over the seminar, explained, this was because if there were divergent camps in power at the centre and the state, the latter would find it difficult to secure government funds. And the states, at least in the North East, were in the least favourable position to survive on their own resources.

Rai also pointed out to certain other distinct features of the politics in the region. Corruption is witnessed not just in the day-to-day functioning of the administration, but before elections as well, as seats are openly bought and sold. Rai mentioned the findings of a confidential report, commissioned by senior BJP leader LK Advani, which Rai had access to. According to the report, every MLA has to arrange for Rs. 15 lakh to save his seat!

Apart from corruption, the government also resorts to other measures to maintain its hold on the region, violence being one of them. Rai informed that after the infamous Nelli massacre in Assam, 25 years ago, polling was held on 110 constituencies in state elections, 109 of which went to the Congress. Several winning candidates had secured as low as 10-25 votes. And this was just one of several similar instances of electoral violence and ensuing victory. Marwah also spoke later about maintenance of private militia by all ethnic groups in the region, the reason being that people just don’t trust the police and other symbols of state machinery. Consequently, these groups “govern the rules of the game”, Marwah noted.

Rai also spoke about two other features marking the political landscape of the North East – identity politics and border politics. He said ever since Jawahar Lal Nehru allowed the creation of an entire state from just one district (Arunachal Pradesh), he gave recognition to identity politics in the country. As far as border politics is concerned, it is widely known now that one needs a special Inner Line Permit, for being able to visit at least 5 of the 7 North Eastern states. This permit, Rai alleged, was a symbol of vested interests at play in the region.

Marwah had the last word on the topic. Stressing on the need of protecting and strengthening the democratic institutions in the North East, he observed that the substance of democracy was empowerment of the common man. Sahbhag feels that the government, the political parties, the non-governmental sector and the various activism-based associations must strive to help the country in achieving this ideal.