Power Shared is Power Multiplied

Here is the full text transcription of your essay as written in the uploaded test booklet: ESSAY TOPIC 3: "Power shared is power multiplied" On the evening of 17th April 1991, the then Prime Minister of India Narasimha Rao tabled a bill on the floor of the parliament. The bill have completely changed political landscape of the nation. It is the 73rd and the 74th Amendment bill that introduced the Panchayati Raj institutions in Indian democracy. Now turning the page to 2026, after three decades the power that shared with local bodies have got multiplied manifold. It strengthened the grassroot democracy and the women got empowerment and the power is diffused with the common people. In the above anecdote, it is clearly seen that how the power shared can get multiplied and have positive impact on the society and augments the power as a positive feedback loop.

Power is often considered as a ability of an individual to exercise his own will even when opposed by others. This was the classic definition of power. But in the contemporary times the power is manifested in different forms, like soft power of India using cultural diplomacy and like hard power where India used missiles as reaction to operation Sindoor against the pakistan. The power has the ability to do both good and bad things. The power has a significant value, it not only have the ability to act but also the ability to serve as a safety valve. The power can act as the symbol of economic growth. The power can keep different kinds of people united. For instances the power that was shared with black Americans led to united USA which was at the verge of getting disintegrated. The power will get multiplied by spreading to others, the multiplication of power is manifested in various forms, such as growth and development of nation, gathering of political awareness by people, seen as a cultural power that unites the people in multicultural society like India. The Constitution of India guaranteed states its own set of power and responsibilities, considering the diversity of the Nation. This shared power led to united India and excellence in economic, innovation, investment and cultural sensitiveness based on their own need and changing societal behaviour.

POWER SHARED IS MULTIPLIED — A REALITY CHECK In the contemporary world the few countries wield the hegemony over the others. They arm twist the other nations and break the rule based order. Defying this, India along with other nations formed BRICS, which is now a regional, economic and political grouping. They have a total of 42% of world population and 36% of GDP. This proving how sharing power is getting multiplied. Similarly, the Indian judicial system is marred with increasing pendencies, frivolous cases, rising appeals. By sharing the power new methods of judicial adjudication was implemented in the form of Legal Services authorities, tribunals for special cases, ADRs, etc. They not only reduced the burden of judiciary but also providing the special expertise advice for cases and thus promoting ease of doing business, reduce human rights violation and hence democratising the power. This can also be seen in the schools and homes. The children who act as a class leader or school pupil leader will get immersed with the leadership quality and turn into a great leader of the nation. For instance, Obama was initially the president of students union in the Harvard college, which inspired him to become the President of USA.

The next logical question that arises in the mind is, what if the power is not shared. The consequences can be multifaceted. > "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" > — Lord Acton > As said by Lord Acton, the power that is concentrated with few lead to corruption. This may further cause inhibiting national and economic growth. The power is not shared may create resentment with people—finally the power ultimately tear apart the society. For example, the refusal of pakistan to share the equal power with its eastern pakistan caused the war and finally the birth of a new country that is Bangladesh. This shows the centrality of sharing the power. So, the power can be shared in the need based manner and most importantly it should have a value and the ability to do something. The name sake transfer of power like how British during the colonial times shared with India, has no meaning. It should be substantial and not symbolic. The power should be shared and also the capacity to realise the power should be given to those entities. For instance, Indian government not only shared the power with local bodies but also gives training via scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, thus making power into a substantial value. Having dwelled upon how the power shared is getting multiplied and the significance of sharing the power, the time is now to see the other side of the coin. In certain cases, sharing of power is not enough, may be a complete independence autonomy is needed. This is due to the discriminatory nature of power, lack of sensitivity on the side of those who share the power or may be a toothless tiger. Eg: India in 1900s needed complete independence and freedom from the British because the British followed a exploitative practices and cultural insensitivity towards the Indian population. So sometimes a complete freedom required than a mere sharing of power. Also, the power shared is not always multiplied, it can dilute also. The power may get ignored if shared in the larger entity thus becoming complacent. For Eg, UK has shared the power with the local constituencies that caused the failure of constitutional order, since UK does not have a local government properly. The power sometimes if shared without any due diligence will be misused. It will do more bad than good. This is well evident in case of Jammu Kashmir. Without any long term vision, the Instrument of Accession was signed and given a extreme power to local rulers. This led to terrorism and secessionist tendencies. Similarly, the power should get democratised else the problem of oligarchy will emerge rather than the power multiplication. People should hold the power, the stakeholders collectively must hold the power for the larger interest of the concerned, else it will be monopolised by those who are at the top. French revolution makes us to remember the above argument of the necessity of democratised power. Instead of becoming a true republic the France became chained in the rule of Napoleon who was no less than the monarch Louis XVI. So, it is not always the power shared could get multiplied in the society.

Having seen the both sides of the argument, a middle path (Madhyama Marga) as said by Mahatma Gandhi should be taken. The power that is shared will get multiplied based on the time and content. It may hold true in a particular situation and not in other situations. Hence based on that the power should be shared or reserved. Sharing of power is benefited during the economic growth, political inclusion, women empowerment and uniting the multi-cultural society like Indian society that has diverse socio, cultural and linguistic diversity. Sometimes it is necessary to reserve the power for the betterment of larger good. This is to reduce the threat or prevent the misuse of power. Indian constitution act as a best example, where it shares power with state in normal times and reserve power during the times of emergency to protect the unity and sovereignty of people and country. In conclusion, the power is good thing if shared and indeed it gets multiplied but only holds true if some conditions satisfied. India shared the power with the local bodies though it has some constraints, it addressed the larger concern of inclusion and grassroot empowerment. Hence, the power should be shared for the betterment of tomorrow for the larger and greater good of people than it seems today.