New Liberal Party of India

The New Liberal Party of India is at present an idea - in its formative stage.

If launched, it will most likely be the First Political party whose manifesto was formed using Wikipedia as a tool for its creation.

Wikipedia offers a unique platform for the memetic convergence and evolution of IDeaS on a consensual basis.

Motivation

This party is expected to find its constituency in the young urban middle class of India. Historically this class was largely ignored because it was very small. The recent demographic shift of India has now reached critical mass - warranting the creation of a new party - to represent the aspirations of this constituency.

Manifesto

1. Uniform Civil Code: If empowered - the party will act to modify, repeal or amend (as appropriate) any legislation that distinguishes individuals on the basis of religious belief and if sufficiently empowered (by a 2/3rd majority) amend the constitution with regard to any expression which recognises distinctions between individuals on the basis of religion. Some corollaries of this position are:

  • There will be no special provisions for people who call themselves Hindu - in the wording of the tax laws - through the category of HUF - (Hindu Undivided Family).
  • There will be no special provisions for people who call themselves Muslim - in the Marriage laws.


2. Anti-Reservation: If empowered - the party will act to modify, repeal or amend (as appropriate) any legislation and/or constitutional provisions (if it has 2/3rd majority) that grant special status to anyone for admission in educational institutions or obtaining jobs in Govt. or other institutions on the basis of belonging to one or another caste, family name or ethnic group. This point should simply be a corollary to point 1 - but is emphasised as a separate point - because the repeal of Reservation as it is implemented now on the basis of caste and other ancestral labels is seen by the party as an important aspiration of the young urban middle class of India. The party will replace Reservation in its present form with assistance based solely on economic indicators of the individual.

3. Cultural Liberalism: If empowered - the party will protect every individuals freedom of thought and expression; even if such expression might violate mass sentiment - as long as the intent of such expression does not imply direct bodily harm to any individual or physical harm to any property. The party sees such tolerance as a traditional value of the culture of India. This position implies that citizens must decide for themselves what they may read, hear or see. While the state will require ratings for books, films, plays, exhibitions, talks and other forms of communication - so as to warn people AbOUT the nature of what they May Be exposed to - it has no power to ban such forms of communication. If empowered this party will strongly act to modify, repeal or amend (as appropriate) any legislation that attempts to control forms of expression. Some corollaries of this position are:

  • There will be no recognition of any form of blasphemy.
  • There can be no law against conversion or the act of converting.


4. Economic Liberalism: If empowered - the party will act to promote free markets and competitive forces in the economy. It will act to promote private entrepreneurship and privatisation.

5. Education Policy: If empowered - the party will address the shortage of educational resources by promoting the growth of private educational institutions - with unconditional administrative rights of meritorious admission, fee structures and curriculum management - but with only the requirement of affirmative action on a nominal (say 10%) of the seats. Educational institutions will compete for recognition of their certificates in an open market - without need for any Government endorsement or state recognition.

Guiding Principles

1. The party wishes to recapture the traditional cultural values of India. Prior to fundamentalist and prudish influences from the west - Indian culture was liberal (for example the temples of Khajuraho), tolerant (multiplicity of philosophical ideas evolving together) and all inclusive (for example the welcoming of the Parsees when they arrived as refugees from Iran). There is in India at present a legitimate reaction to fundamentalism. The party however feels that this reaction should come from a strong liberal standpoint - in keeping with the cultural tradition of India rather than a fundamentalist reaction based on misguided and prudish interpretations of Indian philosophy. In fighting fundamentalist forces - it would be an irony - if we replaced a foreign fundamentalism with a home grown one.

2. The party draws inspiration from the philosophical ideas of Friedrich Hayek

3. The party draws inspiration from the ideas of Frédéric Bastiat