Pressure groups and formal / informal associations and their role in the Polity for GS2

Pressure Groups

Originated in USA
Group of people who are organised actively for promoting and defending their common
interests
Exert pressure on the government or the decision-makers for the fulfilment of their
interests.
Attempt to bring a change in public policy by exerting pressure on govt.
Acts as a liaison between govt. and its members
Concerned with specific programmes and issues
Their activities are confined to protection and promotion of interests of their members by
influencing govt.

Difference between Interest groups and pressure groups

Interest Group
Formally organized

Pressure Group
strictly structured

Interest-oriented

Pressure-focused

May or may not influence the policies of govt.

Must influence the policies of the government

Softer in outlook

Harsher in attitude

More or less protective

Protective and promotive

Methods Used
1. Legal and legitimate:
a. Lobbying
b. Correspondence
c. Publicity
d. Propagandising
e. Petitioning
f. Public debates
g. Maintaining contacts with their legislatures
2. Illegitimate & Illegal :
a. Strikes
b. Violent Activities
c. Bribery
d. Corruption
Different Techniques in securing their purpose
1. Electioneering
Try to place public office persons who are favourable disposed towards the interests
they seek to promote
2. Lobbying
Try to persuade public officers to adopt and enforce policies Lobbying

3. Propagandising
Try to influence public opinion and gain an indirect influence over govt, since govt in
democracy is substantially affected by public opinion

Pressure Groups in India

Sr.
No.

Group Type

Group Name

FICCI (Federation of Indian

Chamber of Commerce &
Industry)

Business
Groups

ASSOCHAM (Associated
Chamber of commerce and
industry of India)
FAIFDA (Federation of all Indian
food grain dealers association)
AIMO ( All India manufacturers
organisation)

Trade Unions

Agrarian
Groups

AITUC (All India trade union

congress) CPI
INTUC (Indian national trade
union Congress) Congress
HMS (Hind Mazdoor Sabha)
Socialists
UTUC (United trade union
congress) CPM
Hind Mazdoor parishad - BJP
Bhartiya kisan union (North
India)
All india Kisan Sabha (Oldest &
Largest)
Revolutionary peasants
Convention (organised by CPM in
1967; gave birth to naxalbari
movement)
Bhartiya kisan sangh Gujarat
R V Sangham (By C N Naidu in

Role
Constituents
1. Indian merchants chamber of Bombay
2. Indian merchants chamber of calcutta
3. South Indian chamber of commerce of
Madras
It represents major industrial and trading interests
Constituents
1. Bengal chamber of commerce of Calcutta
2. Central commercial organisation of Delhi
It represents foreign British capital
Sole representative of grain dealers
Raise concerns of medium sized industry

1. Voice demands of industrial workers

2. Also known as labour groups
3. Associated either directly or indirectly with
political parties

Represent farmers and agricultural labour class

Tamil Nadu)
Shetkhari Sanghatana (By Sharad
joshi in MH)
Hind Kisan Panchayat (By
Socialists)
All India kisan Sammelan (By
Raj Narain)
United Kisan Sabha ( By CPM)

IMA - Indian Medical Association

BCI Bar council of India
IFWJ Indian federation of
Professional
Organisations working journalists
AIFUCT All India federation of
university and college teachers

1. Raise concerns of doctors, lawyers,

journalists and teachers
2. Pressurise govt by various methods including
agitations for improvement of their service
conditions

ABVP Akhil Bhartiya vidyarthi

parishad (By BJP)
AISF - All India students
Student
federation ( By CPI)
Organisations NSUI National Students union
of India ( By Congress)
PSU Progressive Students
Union (BY CPM)

1. Formed to represent student community

2. Affiliated by various political parties

RSS Rashtriya Swayam Sewak

Sangh
VHP Vishwa Hindu Parishad
Religious
Jamaat e- Islam
Organisations
Ittehad ul Mussalmeen
Anglo Indian Association
Shiromani Akali Dal

Caste Groups

Tribal
Groups

Nadar Caste Association (TN)

Marwari Association
Harijan Sewak Sangh
NSCN - National Socialist
Council of Nagaland
TNU Tribal National Volunteers
in Tripura
Peoples liberation army in
Manipur
All India Jharkhand

They represent narrow communal interests

Role of Pressure groups in Polity

Political processes are conditioned by group actions and interactions.
These groups - their solidarities and their conflict - make independent contributions in
determining political outcomes.
"Representation" is the key relationship between such groups and the making of
authoritative decisions.
They form distinctive subsystems within the polity.
These representative organisations have a relative autonomy and an operative logic of
their own that cannot be reduced either to the preferences of individuals or to the
solidarities of the groups that compose them.
Formal institutions of government - their procedures and substantive policies - can
have a significant and enduring effect upon groups and organisations that represent
them.
They overcome the democratic deficit as most peoples political participation is to
cast a vote every five years, this leading to people having little or no influence over
decisions made between elections, and minority views not being represented
Pressure groups increase participation and access to the political system, thereby
enhancing the quality of democracy.
They complement and supplement electoral democracy in two main ways:
o By providing an important mechanism by which citizens can influence
government between elections; and
o By enabling opinions to be weighed as well as counted.
Pressure groups improve the quality of government. Consultation with affected
groups is the rational way to make decisions in a free society.
It makes government more efficient by enhancing the quality of the decision making
process - the information and advice provided by groups helps to improve the quality
of government policy and legislation.
Pressure groups are a product of freedom of association, which is a fundamental
principle of liberal democracy.
Freely operating pressure groups are essential to the effective functioning of liberal
democracy in three main ways:
o They serve as vital intermediary institutions between government and society;
o They assist in the dispersal of political power; and
o They provide important counterweights to balance the concentration of power.
Pressure groups enable new concerns and issues to reach the political agenda, thereby
facilitating social progress and preventing social stagnation. For example, the
womens and environmentalist movements.

 Pressure groups increase social cohesion and political stability by providing a safetyvalve outlet for individual and collective grievances and demands.
Pressure groups assist the surveillance of the government by exposing information it
would rather keep secret, thereby reinforcing and complementing work of opposition
through political parties.
Pressure groups thereby improve the accountability of decision makers to electorates.

Difference between political parties and pressure groups

Political Parties
Pressure groups are not primarily political in nature. E.g.
RSS supports the BJP, it is, by and large, a cultural
organization
Pressure groups do not seek direct power; they only
influence those who are in power for moulding decisions in
their favour
Pressure groups do not contest elections; they only support
political parties of their choice
Pressure groups do not necessarily have political ideologies
The interests of the pressure groups are usually specific and
particular

Pressure Groups
The political parties are basically political
The political parties seek power to form the
government

Political parties nominate candidates, contest

elections, and participate in election campaign

Political parties are always wedded to their

ideologies
Political parties have policies and programmes
with national and international ramifications

Civil Society Organizations: A New Form of Mass Pressure Tactics in India

Civil Society Organizations broadly refer to the active participation and engagement
of men and women in groups associations, organizations, voluntary agencies on the
issues of common concern like environmental protection, price rise, prevention of
corruption, etc.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are established by citizens of the country, to
pursue certain interests.
These act as pressure groups on the government, to promote implementation of
policies in their areas of concerns.
These are run by ordinary persons who feel strongly committed to certain issues.
Many ordinary persons come together informally or formally to share their feelings
about different issues and prevailing social injustice.
Civil Society is an interface between the state and individual.
Civil Society Organizations help to reach out to many people.
They provide a channel for people to express their grievances and also work
constructively for the change.

They point out when the government is not fulfilling its promises to the nation.
They attract idealistic and committed young people, even acting as a space for
teaching and learning good citizenship.

Present Scenario

The 21st century witnessed the active involvement of people through civil society

organizations which could be seen in number of protest movements across country.

People take up issues of gender discrimination, child labour, street children and so on,

and contribute through individual and collective action.

Such organizations put pressure on the government for changing policies on many
important issues such as corruption, human rights, livelihood of different people,

environmental protection, women empowerment, educational and health issues.

Such organizations are able to mobilize public opinion because these issues are
relevant to many people in society. Some of the Civil Society Organizations include
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS, Rajasthan), Peoples Union for Civil
Liberties (PUCL), National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM), National
Alliance of Womens Organizations (NAWO), Medico Friends Circle (MFC), and

many others.
Some important leaders of Civil Society Organizations in recent times include Aruna
Roy (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), Ela Bhatt (Self-Employed Womens
Association), Medha Patkar (Narmada Bachao Andolan) and Anna Hazare (India

Against Corruption).
In the North-Eastern State of Manipur, many groups including Just Peace, Apunba
Lup (students organization) and Meira Paibis (womens groups) are trying to
influence the government to listen to peoples genuine grievances. Together, these
groups are associated with Irom Sharmila, a civil rights activist known as the Iron
Lady of Manipur who has been on a hunger strike since November 2000. Irom
Sharmila wants that the government should repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act (AFSPA) which is responsible for violence in her State and other parts of North-

East India, and respect peoples democratic right to life

All these organizations involve a large number of people who struggle to bring about

changes in State policies.

Many of the organizations and groups believe in following non-violent method

Media as Pressure Group

Press is a very powerful means of social change.
Act as pressure group for the interest of common people and reveals the all deeds of
the government.
Mass media in its full swing of working can openly criticize the government and have
right to place their view on certain situation.
Mass media helps to generate a common platform which tries to focus on core issues
of the society and its need.
Media role is as much important in influencing activities of the political parties as that
of other pressure group working to strive certain specific goals.
Media acts as agent of change, focusing on social development of society

Criticism of Pressure groups

Pressure group in India are basically criticized on the following grounds1. Focus on parochial interest - Pressure group getting influence by their sectional and
local interest more as compared to their common interest.
2. Lack of effective membership - Pressure groups do not have well developed
infrastructure which can help them in regular way pursuing their interest.
3. Dominance of single party system - In India for long time there have been single party
dominance and these powerful political party do not want to be ruled by any pressure
groups.
4. Lack of autonomous existence - Most of the pressure groups except business groups
does not have an independent autonomous existence of their own. Most of them
dominated by political parties, which tries to divide each pressure group and have
strong hold over one group at least.
5. Varying life span - In India we have loose and disorganized multiparty system hence
even pressure group appears big and small with varying life span that appears and
disappears.
6. Unstable - Pressure group lacks stability and commitment which results in shift in
their loyalties according to changing political situation.

7. Ineffective for interest articulation - pressure group like trade union in India lacked
trained and competent functionaries. They have not been effective agents of interest
articulation in India.
8. Use of unconstitutional method - Pressure groups in India tries to influence the
government mainly through various unconstitutional methods as strikes, agitation,
demonstration, lockouts etc.
9. Sometimes led to mass violence - Pressure group involves with protest and certain
radicalization of political life results into mass violence. For example Naxalites
movement starting after fourth general election of 1967 in west Bengal.
10. Threat to democratic set up - The tendency of pressure group to resort to coercion to
secure the solution of a socio-political problem in streets could be regarded as a
serious threat to democratic set up.
Pushpender Singh (Goodwill entry)