| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Till recently when India passed through its l6th general Elections, the election Commission of India appealed Indian citizens to select candidates and dump the criminals and the corrupt ones. It also urged the voters to sign a pledge to be ethical while casting their votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission also appealed the voters to cast their votes without fear or greed, and without keeping caste, religion and creed consideration in mind. The commission's letter also stated that electing a candidate is not merely a citizen's right but his/her responsibility. Ethics and morality have been the hallmark of public life in India since ancient times. Rulers were expected to observe stricter ethical values. Ethics and politics, in other words, were inseparable. This ethical and moral legacy was inherited by its national leaders, who demonstrated a high degree of probity and honesty in public life during the freedom struggle. The early national leaders and political philosophers believed that politics without morality is a thing to be voided. However, in recent years there is a general feeling that all is not well with the Indian political system which is functioning under great strain. It has been noticed and concerns are being expressed over the general decline of values in public life. Recent trends in politics, however, appear to have created an impression as if, the capacity of Indian democratic system to ensure integrity in public life is increasingly going down.
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