President Kalam wants two-party system in India

by Amrit Hallan on May 11, 2007

Thinking independently, in India, is termed as “unconventional” and “unorthodox”. This is the reaction of the media when President APJ Abdul Kalam suggested that we should have a stable, two-party system in India. He is absolutely right. Here in India, any Kallu can wake up one day and declare a new political party and then after a few years cause a political, social or economic crisis: this is a small strength, but a big weakness of our democracy.

Our multi-party system (apart from the fact that we are inherently lazy and unfaithful) is the biggest reason why our country cannot make a meaningful progress neither in economy nor in social welfare. Neither a single influential party (for instance, the Congress) is good for the country nor the coalition system. The single, strong party turns dictatorial in no time, and the coalition government is nothing but chaos, whether it’s NDA or UPA or any other ABC or XYZ.

The two-party system will bring in ideological stability. People may argue that unlike the western democracies (most of them have two-party systems) ours is a highly diverse society and our interests, needs and aspirations cannot be capped under just two parties, but we have had this multi-party system for years and it hasn’t helped much. It has fostered corruption and inefficiency. The multi-party system constantly divides our country and keeps us backward.

[tags]kalam, two-party system[/tags]

  • nancy sumpi

    yes,it’s well said n true that India should ve two party system n not multi-party system.Its a cystal clear that India is a land of corruption.Perhaps it’s also a known fact that it cannot be stop either because it’s all started from the beginning . but wit a two stable party,we can hope for a change n more development in our country.

  • vivek

    If only two party or multi party option will be provided then definatly I will select Two partys system since it makes a stable government . Goverments stability proceeds stable forain , financial and other policies and cause development of country as a whole proceeds.
    But at the same time India is contry of diversity. We will find diversity in relegions, culture , language ,geographycal is much more in india then any of the countryies. Usally it will be difficult to satisfy magirity of the people by two party system because of several diversity.
    Hence I wanted suggest system where in every election this opurtunity will be given to the public which two party should fight the election. it must be two-round voting system where two magor parties of first round will qualify the elction in secand round. Since only two party will be there in 2nd round hence one of them will definatly gets the magerioty and governmanet will be as stable as it is in two party system.

  • http://1conoclast.blogspot.com Opinionated

    Agree with you on this.

    What does diversity have to do with having multiple parties???
    In a bi-party (or max. tri-party system), all parties will still be vying for the vote of each diverse group. Their interests will still be taken care of. Plus the option of independent candidates is alive even in a bi-party system.

    No hassle. We should go for it. With or without Kalam suggesting it. I’ve been saying it before Kalam did. But I’m glad he did. Lends a voice to those like me who don’t really have one.

  • Fzee

    Restricting choice to two parties limits the free marketplace of ideas, reduces each voter’s choice, and is undemocratic.

    People come in more than two flavors; reducing our choice to two is like having every American drive either a Dodge pickup or a Honda sedan. It is preposterous to think that the political rainbow can be summed up and represented properly by a bi-chromatic facsimile.
    What if you are pro-life, but support gay marriage? Or, for that matter, what if you support the right to own assault rifles but also support nationalized health care? A two party system unnecessarily and arbitrarily forces people to make concessions on their beliefs, all in the name of simplicity.
    The more parties, the better (to a degree, of course); it allows each citizen to find the party (and thusly, the candidate) that most directly fits their beliefs and best represents their ideology. Arbitrarily choosing two parties as being representative of all Americans is political favoritism and is wrong down the the very core.

  • http://gmail.com hanmanthu.v

    yes kalam’s thought is purly currect malty party system is a major problem to our country whybecoz there is no stability the govt they h’ve only least percent of votes iam support two party system in india

  • Manoj

    IN INDIA IT IS NOT POSSIBLE.

  • Aiswarya

    there is no possible for two party system in country like India

  • Dorjee

    Not possible in India!
    We are a synthetic idealized political creation, a convenient amalgamation of wholly different ingredients which do not go together well with each other in the natural state.
    1. To ask for a two-party system then, for the whole country will only create 2 humongous behemoths, who’ll find it easier to just collaborate between themselves backstage, and mislead the people big-time.
    2. These two parties will also create their own correspondingly large, unmanageable and extremely powerful bureaucracies and Babudom, that are hand-in-glove with the existing political and administrative machinery.
    3. Of course the nation will remain together, but the if at all there’s a rift between these two parties, it will be a very, very large rift, leading to threats of civil war. A two-party system might work well only in a society where there’s homogeneity.
    4. In the USA, a person can move from Boston, MA and settle down in Pierre, ND without much grief. But in India, a person from Aizawl will find it traumatic to settle down and acclimatize himself to the environment in Haryana, for example. A Rajasthan man will never be able to eat pakoras fried in coconut oil. One size will not fit all. And even if we bring in a two-party system by force of an Ideal, the force of habit will bring about its destruction and disintegration.
    5. And we Indians, like the best examples of hypocrisy, never fail to proclaim ourselves as firm believers in the virtues of monogamy, yet we have seen honorable men who maintain a keep, or at best, another familial establishment! In other words, we Indians like variety!

  • Meenakshi gupta

    i agree with sir KALAM’s idea……There must be 2 party system in india so th8 clashes can be removed……..

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