Death of Democracy in Tamil Nadu!?

Yes, it appears so! What transpired in Tamil Nadu’s Legislative Assembly during the confidence motion is reflective of the culmination of unethical and undemocratic practices in Tamil Nadu’s politics in the recent times.  If ethics was anything to go by, all the sitting MLAs of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu would have resigned on moral grounds respecting and accepting the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on disproportionate assets case in which their party Ex-Supremo and former Chief Minister was unequivocally convicted but the criminal case against her was abated as she is no more.  But who cares! Time and again it is demonstrated that ‘ethics and politics’ are poles apart! The ruling political parties or opposition parties or any political party for that matter, may take advantage of the constitutional flexibility to make their actions and reactions look like democratic but do they reflect the real ‘will’, ‘wish’, and ‘decision’ of the people is the question that we have been debating for quite some time now.  Disorder in the State Assemblies and Indian Parliament is not new and sadly we the people have got used to such ill-practices that never allowed any meaningful constructive dialogue or debate on vital issues concerning people’s lives and livelihoods.  If the debate has to be constructive, it must necessarily consider the ‘voice of dissent’ or ‘voice of the opposition’ as such a consideration is the fulcrum of a democracy to remain healthy.  What keeps bothering the conscience driven citizens is that the denial of such space most often even in the Legislative Assemblies.  The latest example is the rejection of the demand for ‘secret ballot’ in the recently and hurriedly held confidence motion in the Tamil Nadu’s Legislative Assembly. The Speaker of the house could have considered the demand keeping in view the ‘extraordinary political situation’ coupled with the allegation that the sitting MLAs of the ruling party were kept captives and under duress.  It is logical to believe that in a supposedly highly vulnerable situation like this, MLAs going against the party high command and openly opposing the motion is impossible even for the conscience driven MLAs fearing expulsion from the party or other sever consequences.  This is where the ‘secret ballot’ assumes significance as it weakens the ‘risk and threat’ factors. Perhaps, that is the reason why Parliamentary, Assembly and Local Body elections in India are held in secret ballot mode.  In the present context, had the Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly considered the demand for secret ballot, he would have done well to avert the whole crisis that ensued after his rejection and proved that he was unbiased although he belongs to the ruling dispensation!  However, by rejecting a genuine demand of the opposition during the motion in the Assembly, he tolled the death knell for a democratic practice even before it was hatched!  It is worth recalling what the historian and philosopher Lord Acton said once, “The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather that of the party...that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.”