Working of Indian Liberal Democracy and the Emerging Issues.

In the early fifties, Indian national elites opted for a Liberal Democracy. The initiation of the experiment of Liberal Democracy was based upon the belief that this model, based upon a comprehensive system of liberal values like universal adult franchise, fundamental rights, parliament, independent judiciary, competitive party system, nationally recruited bureaucracy, etc. would usher in an era of open liberal and plural political system. Thus, the reason for following a pattern of liberal democracy was basically the faith of Indian national elites in the approach of modernization on the line of western democratic processes. In this context its important to mention that Liberal Democratic State was one pertinent institution which contributed towards the smooth functioning of the Liberal Democracy in the first two decades after independence. It is only in the recent decades that the dilemmas and contradictions associated with the "modern notion of the State" have unfolded themselves, what came to be known as "Crisis of Institutions". The paper therefore seeks to explore the working of Indian Liberal democracy since independence and the emerging debates and issues specifically providing a critique to the Liberal Democratic assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]