Ruling Party" Is Absurd: In a Democracy, They Should Serve, Not Rule

 Ruling Party" Is Absurd: In a Democracy, They Should Serve, Not Rule

In a democratic country, there are two key political terminologies: the ruling party and the opposition party. First and foremost, a democracy is founded on the basic principle quoted by Abraham Lincoln in his 1863 Gettysburg Address: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." This means that the government derives its power from citizens, is run by their elected representatives, and operates to serve the public interest.

If it is the people who elect the government, how can the terms "ruling party" and "opposition party" be justified? Neither the elected party is a master, nor are the citizens slaves to be ruled. The term "ruling party" feels undemocratic and absurd. Is there an alternative? We might think of "leading party"—the party that leads the people. But for that, we would need true leaders. Unfortunately, in India, we don’t have such leaders. Politicians, in many cases, are not fit to be called leaders.

According to an analysis of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 251 out of 543 newly elected MPs (46%) have declared criminal cases against themselves—up from 43% in 2019. Among these, 170 MPs (31%) face serious charges, including murder, rape, and kidnapping.

As of March 2025, approximately 45% (1,861) of the 4,092 sitting MLAs analysed from 28 state assemblies and 3 union territories in India have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to an ADR report. Of these, 1,205 (29%) face serious criminal charges.

With records like these, do you think we can be led? It’s a joke. Where will such politicians lead us? The so-called ruling party should instead be called a "serving party"—their job is to serve. They are neither gods nor leaders; they are just ordinary citizens who have won elections, by fair means or foul. The opposition party should be called a "representative parties"—it represents the public's dissent.

As citizens, we must stop glorifying and celebrating these politicians. We should call a spade a spade. If the party we elected makes a mistake, we should put our foot down and say they are wrong. We must stop this bloody act of taking sides based on religion and caste. We should see the nation as a nation, and not let it be painted with the ill-conceived ideologies that politicians feed us to divide society for their personal gain.

A patriot is one who stands with the nation, questions politicians, and never gets carried away by ideologies that divide the people.

When you go to the polling booth, set aside your favouritism, hero worship, religious and caste leanings—keep the nation first. Let’s work together to reduce the number of criminals entering the political arena.

M.L. Narendra Kumar