Pressure groups

Pressure Group is any group that attempts to influence legislative or governing institutions on behalf of its own special interests or interests of a larger public that it represents. They influence Governments decision in their favour without participating in politics as such. It acts as a liaison between government and its members.

1. Prof Finer characterized them as anonymous empires. To Lambert these are unofficial government which implies that no government can run without them into consideration.It organizes itself around a common interest, of a section of population.
2. There are protective pressure groups, i.e., those protecting the interest of the group like FICCI.
3. On the other hand promotional pressure groups tries to promote their interest like caste association, trade unions etc.
4. Pressures group act behind the seen as they do not try to capture power. They support their candidate, parties in elections to ensure winning candidate backed by them represent their interest in related bodies. They give collective expression to the groups demand and also ensure thatthe demand should be met. They change their political alliance quickly as to suit their conditions.
5. Pressure group’s demands can be functional or dysfunctional for society. Presences of anomic pressure groups like terrorist organizations have negative impact Thus it can be said that presence of pressure group shows pluralism in political system which can be functional as well as dysfunctional.

Role of pressure groups in democracy

1. According to Anthony Giddens, pressure groups are the carriers of democracy. With the increase in industrialization division of labour also increases, thus emerged various sections with specialized interest But modern democracy demands harmonization of interest due to which minority or sectional interest tend to get ignored Pressure groups represent this interest
2. Its presence shows existence of pluralism making power dispersed and decentralized into the political system.
3. Pressure groups also aggregate and articulate interest, thus making government aware of public opinion and interest and working for them.
4. The participation of all sections in governance is indirectly achieved
5. Pressure groups can work in anonymity out of the glare of public. So they may provide public censure.
6. They may use imitative, educative, non-formal methods to protect and promote their interests.

But in modern democracy they can be dysfunctional too, as by representing sectional interest at times other interests gets marginalized It may be possible that sectional interest goes contrary to national interest. Certain economic pressure groups have also emerged using illegal methods e.g. terrorists organizations. Thus, being inevitable phenomena in democracy pressure groups have strengthened and weakened democracy side by side.

There are many pressure groups in India. But, they are not developed to the same extent as in the US or the western countries like Britain, France, and Germany and so on. The pressure groups in India can be broadly classified into the following categories.

1. Business Groups: The business groups include a large number of industrial and commercial bodies.They are then most sophisticated the most powerful and the largest of all pressure groups in India.They include:
   • Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), major constituents are the Indian Merchants Chamber of Bombay Indian Merchants Chamber of Calcutta and South Indian Chamber of Commerce of Madras. It broadly represents major industrial and trading interest.
   • Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), major constituents are the Bengal Chamber of Commerce of Calcutta and Central Commercial Organization of Delhi.
   • Federation of All India Foodgrain Dealers Association (FAIFDA). FAIFDA is the sole representative of the grain dealers.
   • All India Manufacturers Organization (AIMO). AIMO raises the concerns of the medium-sized industry.
2. Trade Unions: The trade unions voice the demands of the industrial workers. They are also known as labour groups. A peculiar feature of trade union of India is that they are associated either directly or indirectly with different political parties. They include:
   • All India Trade Union Congress (INTUC) – affiliated to the CPI;
   • Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) – affiliated to the Congress (1);
   • Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) – affiliated to the CPM, and
   • Hind Mazdoor Parishad (HMP) – affiliated to the BJP.
3. Agrarian Groups: The agrarian groups represent the farmers and the agricultural labour class. They
   include :
   • Bharatiya Kisan Union (under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Tikait, in the wheat belt of North India)
   • All Indian Kisan Sabha (the oldest and the largest agrarian group)
   • Revolutionary Peasants Convention (organized by the CPM in 1967 which gave birth to the Naxalbari Movement)
   • Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (Gujarat)
   • R.V.Sangham (led by CN Naidu in Tamil Nadu)
   • Hind Kisan Panchayat (controlled by the Socialists)
   • All India Kisan Sammelan (led by Raj Narain)
   • United Kisan Sabha (controlled by the CPM)
4. Professional Associations: These are associations that raise the concerns and demands of doctors, lawyers, journalists and teachers. Despite various restrictions, these associations pressurize the government by various methods including agitations for the improvement of their service conditions. They include:
   • Indian Medical Association (IMA).
   • Bar Council of India (BCI)
   • Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ)
   • Progressive Students University and College Teachers (AIFUCT).
5. Student Organizations: Various unions have been formed to represent the student community. However, these unions, like the trade unions, are also affiliated to various political parties. These are:
   • Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) (affiliated to BJP)
   • All India Students Federation (AISE) (affiliated to CPI)
   • National Students Union of India (NSUI) (affiliated to Congress (I))
   • Progressive Students Union (PSU) (affiliated to CPM).
6. Religious Organizations: The organizations based on religion have come to play an important role in Indian politics. They represent the narrow communal interest. They include:
   • Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS)
   • Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
   • Jamaat-e-Islami
   • Ittehad-ul-Mussalmeen
   • Anglo-India Association
   • Associations of the Roman Catholics
   • All-India Conference of India Christians
   • Parsi Central Associations
   • Shiromani Akali Dal.
     “TheShiromani Akali Dal should be regarded as more of religious pressure groups than a political party in view of the fact that it has been concerned more with the mission of saving the Sikh community from being absorbed into the ocean of Hindu society than with fighting for the cause of a Sikh homeland”.
7. Caste Groups: Like religion, caste has been an important factor in Indian politics. The competitive politics in many states of the Indian Union is in fact the politics of caste rivalries: Brahmin versus Non-Brahmin in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Rajputs versus Jat in Rajasthan, Kainmas versus Reddy in Andhra, Ahir versus Jat in Haryana, Baniya Brahmin versus Patidars in Gujarat, Kayastha versus Rajputs in Bihar, Nair versus Ezhavas in Kerala and Lingayats versus Okkaligas in Karnataka. Some in the caste-based organizations are:
   • Nadar Caste Association in Tamil Nadu
   • Marwari Association
   • Harijan Sevak Sangh
   • Kshatriya Maha Sabha in Gujarat
   • Vanniyakul Kshatriya Sangham
   • Kayastha Sabha.
8. Tribal Organizations: The tribal organizations are active in MP, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand West Bengal and the North Eastern States of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland and so on. Their demands range from reforms to that of secession from India and some of them are involved in insurgency activities. The tribal organizations include:
   • National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN)
   • Tribal National Volunteers (TNU) in Tripura
   • People’s Liberation Army in Manipur
   • All-India Jharkhand
   • Tribal Sangh of Assam
   • United Mizo Federal Organization.
9. Linguistic Groups: Language has been so important factor in Indian politics that it became the main basis for the reorganization of states. The language along with caste, religion and tribe has been responsible for the emergence of political parties as well as pressure groups. Some of the linguistic groups are :
   • Tamil Sangh
   • Anjuman Tarrak-i-Urdu
   • Andhra Maha Sabha
   • Hindi Sahitya Sammelan
   • Nagarik Pracharani Sabha
   • Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha.
10. Ideology Based Groups: In more recent times, the pressure groups are formed to pursue a particular ideology, i.e., a cause, a principle or a programme. These groups include:
    • Environmental protection groups like Narmada Bachao Andolan and Chipko Movement
    • Democratic rights organizations
    • Civil liberties associations
    • Gandhi Peace Foundation
    • Woman rights organizations.
11. Anomic Groups: Almond and Powell observed: “By anomic pressure groups we mean more or less a spontaneous breakthrough into the political system from the society such as riots, demonstrations, associations and bureaucratic elite, over-whelmed bythe problem of economic development and scarcity of resources available to them, inevitably acquires a technocratic and anti-political frame of mind, particularistic demands of whatever kinds are denied legitimacy. As a consequence interest groups are alienated from the political system”. Some of the anomic pressure groups are:
    • All India Sikh Student’s Federation
    • Nava Nirman Samiti of Gujarat
    • Naxalite Groups
    • Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)
    • All Assam Student’s Union
    • United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)
    • Dal Khalsa.

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