The meaning of political science is often restricted to the state, government, and everyday politics. However, it goes beyond that. We as humans share various relationships. What do we do when conflicts arise in these relationships? How do we resolve them? The Socratic dialectical method or Habermas’ idea of deliberation provides a solution. It says conflicts are better resolved through dialogue rather than domination. Hence, it tells us how to talk in a dialectical manner. It is the process of reasoning together. For instance, when your father asks you to aim for a government job, but you want to become a content creator, you do not totally oppose each other. Instead, you engage rationally: Why is a government job important? Maybe because it provides security and financial stability. But being a content creator might give you creative freedom. So you decide to take a government job but also start your creator journey simultaneously — maybe by vlogging your day as a government employee...
BJP, Congress, CPI, Samajwadi Party, and BSP are the political parties we come across every day. Edmund Burke defines a political party as “a body of men united for promoting by their joint endeavours the national interest upon some particular principle in which they are all agreed.”
Article 1 of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress defines its objective as the establishment of a socialist state. On the other hand, the BJP’s constitution identifies Integral Humanism as its guiding philosophy. However, people are often mobilized under the idea of Hindutva. Traditionally, political parties used to have an ideology through which they mobilized people.
But why do we need them? We do not have enough time to constantly push for our demands. For example, one can either keep protesting and demanding jobs from the government or focus on studying. Therefore, we support political parties that recognize our cause and work on our behalf.
Now, what are the primary goals of these parties? They aim for social transformation - something that can be achieved through the capture of political power. Hence, they contest elections. Earlier, political parties served as a major link between the people and the government. But today, multiple channels have emerged to establish this linkage, such as social media. People are now directly connected with their representatives or leaders without any intermediary. This has led to a decline in the enthusiasm for joining political parties. We often hear statements like, “I’m saying this, but I’m not a supporter of any party” during a political discussion. People seem increasingly uncomfortable with being associated with a particular political party.
Other than this, NGOs, pressure groups, and civil society (anyone who is not associated with the government) have gained prominence. Recent SSC protests or farm protests were largely not associated with any political parties.
Earlier, parties had distinct ideologies. For instance, the Samajwadi Party was founded on the bedrock of socialism, and the BSP on the idea of egalitarianism and upliftment of the Bahujan Samaj. But today, parties are more issue-based rather than ideology-driven. The formation of Jan Suraaj by Prashant Kishor is one such example. Welfarism seems to have become the only common ideology, if it is so..
Therefore, it is often said that political parties have lost their traditional relevance. However, while the role of political parties has transformed, they remain crucial in our democratic setup. Political mobilization, political socialization, and electioneering are still largely carried out by political parties. They still perform the functions of interest collection of the people. They are still indispensable to any democracy.
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