Formation of political philosophy and democracy

Before concluding lectures on political scenario there has to be some discussion of how the ideas and manifestos of political parties are shaped. To capture power at the centre and the state levels, in a democratic country like India, a political party need not necessarily have a well-knit, distinctive economic or social philosophy to serve the interests of the people best. The main aim of the parties is to win elections. Therefore, they try to declare their policies according to their understanding of people’s choices in the year of election. Most of the time political parties claim to reflect people’s aspirations and only rarely accept the role of guiding them. They know that masses are governed more by desires and passion and they do not have a clear understanding of what they want. Here one may ask: do in Indian democracy people vote on the basis of programs and ideas of political parties? It is difficult to provide a clear answer to this question. There is no doubt that people want development but they also vote on other grounds. Leader’s charisma, identity, local and regional issues, sentiments, and many illegal practices used to get votes also affect voting pattern. Box 22.1 presents a quote from Hitler. Hitler was not a political theorist but he was at one time a successful politician. What he says on ideas contains an element of truth, although for all political parties of India he will be one of the most hated persons.