JAN AWAAZ
“On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value.
How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up.” ― B.R. Ambedkar
Background Note
It is widely felt that electoral politics is systematically getting hollowed out by perversions of corruption and mismanagement. The electoral logic of transference of sovereignty from the individual to the representative and the ensuing accountability has been turned on its head today. The distortion of this logic has been steadily built by corruption and the corporate take-over of political decision-making. It is therefore, imperative that the power of the voter in contributing to the national agenda is re-emphasized and strengthened. It is against this background that a need is felt for the movements and constituents of the wider civil society to respond in a structured manner to challenges faced by the political structure of the polity.
Movements have grown politically for the last 60 years. They have contested the mainstream discourse all this while and have, in fact, set the framework for “new politics”. This euphoria of new beginning rests on the faith and trust reposed by the common people, which is largely an outcome of long years of the work of movements with invisible citizens. This platform seeks to explore ways and means for all modes of civil society to meaningfully hold dialogue with political parties, their constituents and lay on the table our concerns and priorities. In a sense, this is to stake people’s claim over the formal political system of the country which is frightfully pre-occupied with the game of capturing power and the attending demands.
This platform seeks to initiate a dialogue that will recognize and analyze the nature and politics of party and non-party political processes. It will specifically attempt to bring together those who are committed to issues of equality and democratic practice, and have chosen not to be part of the electoral sphere. We recognize that we must work together and explore the nature of engagement with elections and political parties. This is a call for dialogue, collaboration and the building of alliances.
Why the non-party political formations have a significant role to play:
- People’s politics have given space in India for those who critique the state on the basis of constitutional rights. It offers place for those who differ, dissent and disagree on a range of issues. As a result, the state has had to perforce engage with a permanent critique of the establishment – political, financial or otherwise. This uniquely independent space, therefore, has a lot to contribute to the presently unimaginative and simplistic political discourse.
- The proximity of movements to the people has enabled it to give voice to those most affected and marginalized. This articulation based on experience needs projection and emphasis which this platform will be duty bound to provide.
- Understanding the power and contribution of politics outside formal institutions has been enshrined in the life and action of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, M.N. Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan. Many of us have claimed this heritage, and expanded these spaces into modern post-independent India. Social movements in India have a strong political basis and in fact, have provided a counter to the neo-liberal framework imposed upon the public since the 1990s.
- Amongst the movements there has also been a wider understanding of democratic modes of struggle. This forum will be another method for civil society to engage with the political class. This space will bring together the voices of many platforms, existing movements, and public spirited individuals to frame questions that need to be answered before and after elections by the political establishment.
The timing of the formation:
The frustration of people aimed at the rot in political processes peak at the time of elections. They are faced with dilemmas and no position from which to act. There is a feeling that we have many questions and few answers during elections. Despite some limited success, we are left with a system subverted by grand corruption, corporate loot, growth oriented economics, communal politics. The rigour, honesty and capability to say obvious truths of an alternative (electoral) politics eludes us.
We need to create an inclusive and creative space for movements, people of eminence, civil liberties and democratic assertions of citizens to express their opinions and concerns. What we need is a platform to critique the ideology, policy and legislative action of all political parties; and be able to help shape independent opinion based on a reasoned discourse. The importance of the platform and of the urgency is further underlined by the sudden rise in the population below 25; whose political memory goes back less than half a decade. These young people need to be informed and engaged in substantive and serious political conversation and debate.
In conclusion
This platform seeks to not only expose but to build a positive agenda in conformity with constitutional vision. This will be carried out without using vote bank politics and by enlarging and building upon modes of democratic struggle by giving voice to marginalized communities- social and economic.
The platform promotes an understanding that democracy must protect pluralism and diversity. This platform will strengthen the assertion that in India at least, the many marginalised put together comprise the majority and the “mainstream”. This platform is for forging alliances of a collective ethos of equality and justice that are based on concerned and affected peoples expertise in almost every area of public life. This coming together will also give us an opportunity to overcome the limitations of single issue movements, while drawing upon their strengths to shape a larger political discourse.
Jan Awaaz 