Video Discription |
On the panel:
1. Prof Sanjay Kumar, Director, Centre for the Studies of Developing Societies (CSDS), India’s leading institute involved in studying and understanding electoral aspects of Indian politics
2. Prof Mohd Khalid, Political Scientist, Panjab University, Chandigarh
3. Prof Ashutosh Kumar, Psephologist, Academician, Researcher & Columnist
4. Advocate H S Arora, lawyer-activist & whistle blower who uses PIL & RTI as instruments of change via legal recourse
At a time when Election ID cards, EVMs, NOTA and candidates filing assets are being seen as big ticket electoral reforms, this episode of Daleel raises some serious questions, at one stage even asking if these steps actually mean significant reforms.
While participants dwell on the feasibility and efficacy of state funding of elections, financial reforms, use of black money in polls, reforms and transparency in India’s party financing, making disclosure norms more stringent, codifying corporate contributions to political parties, etc, it asks how far will these reforms go?
After all, in the United States, election funding is a fairly transparent game, criminal antecedents are well known, rigging doesn't make it to popular narrative (exception: Donald Trump's trumped up shrill claims), and many things that we rue are missing are in place there. Has that made the electoral field a levelled one? Is the US election not a big money game?
Any electoral reforms in India would really be reforms if they bring vast majority inside the ambit of a functioning democracy. If 70 percent of the population survives on less than a dollar a day, what are all these reforms worth? You cannot tell the adivasis in Orissa's jungles to be happy because now they can press a NOTA button on the EVMs, can you?
Of course, the panelists do not negate the immediate need for pressing reforms in the election process - right from scrutiny to issues to financing - but keep the focus on the cancer even when all some want is a pill for headache.
This episode of Daleel was first telecast on October 26, 2016. Feedback, suggestions welcome at singh.india@gmail.com. Also, please help spread the word about DALEEL, an effort at cerebral television in times of dumbing down of the news media.
Thank you for watching. DALEEL WITH SP SINGH is now telecast every Wednesday at 7 pm on PTC News. Please check listings for repeat telecast as TV channels often change schedules without notice. So, check out the time, and since it may still change, do not bet your money on it.
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