City City Bang Bang | Too young to know better?
This opinion piece argues that the lack of accountability in the Indian political and bureaucratic system prevents meaningful improvements in public infrastructure. It suggests that the system is designed to serve those in power rather than the citizens.
Why it matters
Critiques the structural failures of Indian governance and the disconnect between elected officials and public needs.
We might be underestimating just how significant it is when schoolchildren across the country start protesting about the lack of basic infrastructure. Their complaints precede politics, and focus on things central to their prospects in life. There is nothing abstract about these issues, nor can their contentions be challenged when the visual evidence is overwhelming. What they are seeking is accountability, which in the Indian context is an elusive commodity.At one level, their demand is basic. People elected to power need to be answerable to those who voted for them. Isn’t that what democracy is supposed to be about?And yet, in India accountability is difficult to contrive. Power is answerable only to a higher authority and not to an internal sense of responsibility.
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