Gandian theory of state:-

Ans. Gandhiji's views on the state were like philosophical anarchists. The influence of the Russian
philosopher Tolstoy was indelible on him. He believed that the state was based on power and
exploitation. Various statements of Gandhiji attest to the fact that he had a natural desire to abolish the
state. His statement was that the state is an organized and active form of violence. Human beings have
a self, but the state is a machine without a soul. I look at the growing power of the state with great fear.
Though viewed from above the state is doing a good by reducing exploitation, but by destroying
individual identity it causes great harm to mankind; Because the root of all progress is personal.
“Gandhiji was in favor of ending the existence of the state on the basis of the above reasons. He was in
favor of establishing such a society in which the individual can conduct his own social life even in the
absence of the state. According to him, every man in such a state has his own The ruler is himself. He
governs himself in such a way that he does not obstruct the way of his neighbor in any way, so in an
ideal society there is no political power because then there will be no state institution. Thus Gandhiji
Symbols of "power and violence" were in favor of abolishing the state on moral historical grounds.
Believing in the dignity of the individual, he did not realize the need of the state in an ideal society.
Therefore, in this sense, his ideas were similar to those of anarchists, but Gandhiji did not present a
revolutionary and violent path to achieve his objective. He was in favor of creating an ideal society
through peace, love and non-violence. It is clear from this that his ideas were influenced by Tolstoy
itself. Gandhiji used to despise the state as a necessary evil. He believed that man is basically a spiritual
being, his true nature is freedom-loving. Man wants freedom of self. True freedom means perfect self-
discipline and self-restraint which is possible only in conditions of knowledgeable anarchy. The state is a
symbol of power and violence. Therefore, Gandhiji wanted to establish a stateless society. It is possible
for the society to be based on non-violence only when all living beings perform their duty and work with
mutual cooperation. Gandhiji believed that if all the people living in villages voluntarily create an
environment of cooperation and lead a life on the basis of peace, then a non-violent society can be
formed and they will cooperate with each other. This organization will be based on non-violence and
not on violence and will work on the democratic method.Socially everyone will be equal. The question
of high-low and untouchable-untouchable will not be present in this society, economic equality will be
the ideal of this village. Economic equality means that every person will definitely get what he needs.
All persons shall follow the principles of truth, non-violence, asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha and
celibacy. They will try to become self-reliant by working hard to fulfill their needs. This will not leave an
opportunity to exploit others. The tendency of ending the difference between owner and worker in
agriculture and home-businesses will end. The path of development of capitalist would be blocked in
the ideal society. In the absence of a big factory, there will be no opportunity for exploitation in the
villages, no one will be able to take advantage of the labor of others and there will be no opportunity for
centralization of power and capital. From the above point of view, there will be an organization of
villages. Only the people residing in them will be free in the true sense. In this society, there will be no
use of power, everyone will do all the work according to their own will, there will be no ruler, and every
person ruled will be his own ruler, who will rule himself in such a way that he does not prove to be a
hindrance in the path of his neighbor. Economic and social inequality will also end. All will be treated
equally. If the state had remained in some form, then there would be a community of such independent
and self-supporting villages. Each village shall be a democracy or panchayat. There will be complete
power in it and every village will have to be self-sufficient and capable of taking care of its own
management. The power of Gram Panchayats will not come from the central government, but from the
villagers only. Villages will be the providers of power and the state will be formed according to their
wishes. Gandhiji's belief is that the village will be the source of real power and this power will be based
on non-violence and morality, not on violence. In fact, Gandhiji was an exponent of the policy of
decentralization by eliminating centralization in the political and economic fields. Working area of the
state Gandhiji considered the state as a symbol of power and violence, so ideally he was in favor of
abolishing the state, however, in the context of the present circumstances, he thought that the state
could prove its usefulness to some extent. In a society organized on the basis of non-violence and
cooperation, the state will get the opportunity to intervene at least. The state has to do many such
tasks which people can voluntarily organize and do. In his words, "Self-government means becoming
more and more independent from the control of the government, whether that government is foreign
or national. The situation would be very pathetic in which people would desire control by the
government over every aspect of life." He wrote elsewhere, "I accept that there are some things which
are not possible to do without political power, but at the same time there are many such things for
which there is no need to depend on the power of the state." That is why thinkers like Thoreau said that
"the government is the best which governs the least." That is the true democracy. Where this is not the
case, the state is a democracy in name only. He was of the opinion that for the efficient operation of
democratic government, not only the majority, but other The cooperation of the minorities is also
necessary. It is not necessary that the majority should always be true.He has also expressed his views
regarding the election and representation system in democracy. With regard to elections, his belief was
that an exploitative class is born through elections, through which the moral degradation of the
individual is done. The members vote their party without any consideration. There is a lot of
expenditure in elections, it motivates the person to tell many false things. With regard to voting, he was
of the opinion that this right should not be given on the basis of property or education. The right to vote
should be given to only those persons who earn their livelihood through labour. Only selfless and
deserving persons should have the right to stand for election. The representative should be elected on
the basis of the desire to serve the people. The person who wants to be elected only from the point of
view of service will neither campaign for the election, nor criticize the rivals nor will he go from house to
house asking for votes. The people themselves will elect the candidates on the basis of their merit.
Gandhiji wanted to make justice cheap and accessible. He believed that the law should be made easy
and understandable by not making it complicated and lawyers should cooperate in justice work instead
of earning money. The cases of individuals should be settled by the Panchs and not by the courts.
Police officers should have a tendency to work in the public interest. Public service should be the main
goal of the officials of the state and government. He did not have a good opinion about the
parliamentary institution. He compared the British Parliament in "Hind Swarajya" to a degenerate
prostitute. By this no good work can be done of its own volition. It has no real owner. It works under the
control of Prime Ministers by changing. Gandhiji did not even believe in the administration. To accept
that evils can be removed only by passing laws is to deceive oneself. The basic thing is to change the
heart. Any law is permanent. cannot be binding on the individual.