Fixing the system

Gaps in political and economic systems highlighted

- MADAN SABNAVIS

FOR A PERSON who has been tracking Indian polity and economy for about eight decades, Shashi Budhiraja brings out a rather hard-hitting book on India's progress, titled The Governance Gap. As the title suggests he points out the gaps in our political and economic systems based on facts and data and devoid of emotion.

The political superstructure needs reforms that can come only from within, as people design the systems that they ultimately operate. The economic scenario needs improvement, which can be done provided we get the political ideology right, which is hence a circular puzzle. Yet, he is very optimistic about the future of India.

The book is partly a narrative of developments in various sectors since independence, along with his commentary on them. While these facts are well known, putting them together cogently with deep analysis is what makes Budhiraja's book stand out.

Let's start at the beginning. Yes, India has had fair elections since we started our democratic journey, which is something that we can be happy about, given how democracies have tended to wilt at different points of time. However, he points out that over time elections are driven significantly by money power and the majority of those who get elected have high levels of wealth. Moreover, given that up to over 40% of legislators have a criminal background does not bode well for a democracy.