Political Parties in India

‘What role the existing political parties in our country can play in promoting the concept of ENP in India, guruji?’, Atma Prakash asked.

‘We cannot expect the large and centralized political parties in our country to follow the eternal values of truth, non-violence, sacrifice and service, and the national values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity that are basic to the concept of ENP. In fact, some of these political parties themselves are the causes for the crises facing the nation today. These parties do not seem to have the much needed dynamism and creativity for changing themselves for better’, the Baba replied. He continued further....

‘The older and larger an organization, the greater the difficulty for it to bring about any creative changes within itself. Such organizations also tend to become blocks in the path of creative changes initiated by others. They will be strong promoters of ‘status quo’ and will cause stagnation and decay in our national life. Just as stagnant waters breed mosquitoes and diseases, large and uncreative political parties and trade unions add to the problems of India and tend to block the path of development….. 

‘Some of the major political parties in our country today seem to have outlived their utility in the mission of nation-building. We will also have to aim at liberating India from the clutches of these corrupt and lethargic political parties and trade unions with their vested interests, hidden agendas and black money…..

‘However, the inspiring fact is that there are a good number of smaller value-based dynamic political parties and youthful ‘sovereign Indian citizens’ in our country today who are capable of standing up and fighting for the nation. ‘Sovereign Indian citizens’ means citizens who are value-conscious and who give greater importance to their Fundamental Duties than to their Fundamental Rights. They are called to enter the battle field of a new ‘Dharmakshetra-Kurukshetra’ to save Mother India from crime and corruption, and from other forces of adharma that are threatening to destroy her…

‘These youthful sovereign Indian citizens, and value-based dynamic political parties in India inspired by an enlightened political ideology, a common minimum agenda for socio-economic development of the last and the least in India, certain common minimum principles of enlightened governance and some common minimum parameters for MPs and MLAs can form themselves into an enlightened political alliance in the country or state and work together for the mission of building a hunger-free, caste-free and corruption-free India with the final goal of winning the economic, social and moral freedoms that are yet to be won for our motherland….. 

‘I have suggested the political ideology of ‘Democratic Federalism’, the common minimum agenda of ‘Gandhian Navaratna’, the 16 principles of Enlightened Governance, and the five minimum Parameters for MPs and MLAs as part of my vision of ENP. You can use them as they are. You can also modify them as you feel inspired. But let there be these four constituents. Only then ENP can achive its goal and fulfill its purpose….

‘The sovereign Indian citizens within this enlightened political alliance can contest elections as ‘National Candidates’. The dynamic political parties within this alliance can contest under their own banners…... 

‘However, it is very important that these political parties and sovereign Indian citizens joining this enlightened political alliance should be accountable and answerable to the nation in word and deed, and should be committed to the Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens as given under Article: 51-A of the Indian Constitution’. 

The Baba stopped for a while and looked at Atma Prakash.

The disciple was very carefully listening to every word his guruji said.

Excerpts from ‘Integral Revolution’