Politics Of Social Divisions

It would appear that the combination of politics and social divisions is very dangerous and explosive. Democracy involves competition among various political parties. Their competition tends to divide any society.

RANGE OF OUTCOME:

• Politics and social divisions must not be allowed to mix. Some think that it would be best if there are no social divisions in any country. If social divisions do exist in a country, they must never be expressed in politics.
• At the same time every expression of social divisions in politics does not lead to such disasters.
• In a democracy it is only natural that political parties would talk about these divisions, make different promises to different communities.
• Social divisions affect voting in most countries. People from one community tend to prefer some party more than others. In many countries there are parties that focus only on one community. Yet all this does not lead to disintegration of the country.

In some Societies of Northern Ireland, the colonies of Protestant and Catholic communities are divided by walls. These walls are sometimes filled with graffiti as you can see here. The Irish Republican Army and British Government signed an agreement in 2005. What does the graffiti here tell about the conflict in the society?

Government's Steps to Include Fringe groups into Mainstream:

After independence, the constitution makers made two radical provision, which were to frame India's destiny in the right direction.

• The first provision was to give the right to vote to every adult citizen of this country. Many experts in those days laughed at the idea giving. The reason given was highly illiterate population was not fit to use the right judiciously.
• The second provision was to give reservation to the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes to include them in the mainstream of the life of the nation.
• These two provisions helped grow the level of political awareness amongst the people of hinterland. In fact it took hundreds of years for developed countries like US and UK to provide voting rights to women. An the disheartening fact is till none of the women could become the President of USA. Till a few days ago no president of US was black.
• Compare this with the better situation in India. Flashback your memory to 2004 elections' results. To quote a news magazine, “In a Hindu majority nation a Muslim President was administering oath of office to a Sikh Prime Minister who was chosen for the job by a Catholic woman”.
• The statement should make every Indian proud of its rich diversity and the respect for diverstiy which majority of its citizens have imbibed over a period of time.