For the past year dealing with endemic corruption has been at the top of the political agenda in India. Only last week fury and shouting yet again paralysed parliament as the opposition accused the government of not doing enough to tackle the problem, as anger at government inaction effectively halted all action during the two previous winter and spring parliamentary sessions.
There had been hope that the third session would allow several important bills to get through, like an important food security bill (in a country which still has serious malnutrition); a compensation bill for farmers whose land is taken for development; and the inevitable anti-corruption law which would set up a government ombudsman's office. But parliamentary plans failed as both houses of parliament were rocked by opposition demands that Delhi's chief minister should resign over her role in managing the troubled Commonwealth Games last year.
India is the world's largest democracy, and as it marks its independence day it is important to celebrate that remarkable success. While the fury in parliament may have derailed the government's plans, it is also a testament to the effectiveness of political debate in India. And this achievement has not been easy. India is a huge ‘coming together' of different peoples with many languages and beliefs, and its secular and democratic constitution has been vital for the country's success since it gained independence in 1947.
Success does not come automatically, as the grim period of emergency rule under former prime minister Indira Gandhi made it all too clear, when the executive over-reached itself. But a new government brought back democratic rule and these formative experiences all combine to build a communal set of social and political assumptions that allow democracy to work. The current campaign against corruption is part of that continual effort to improve the state of the nation.
