Power, Inequality and Justice in Nation States with Reference to India: A Theoretical Approach

Power in India operates at different levels, shaping the political, economic and social landscape. While a democratic framework offers opportunities for representation and change, underlying inequalities and systemic problems persist. India is the world's largest democracy, but political power is often concentrated in a few elites. Caste, class and regional affiliations play important roles in political representation and decision-making. Inequality exists in various forms in all spheres of our lives including social, political, economic, gender, race, caste, language, ability, religion and region. All of them are carefully constructed and systematically enforced by culturally designed structures of oppression. The elite theory of the state argues that political power is always in the hands of a small elite and that egalitarian ideas such as socialism and democracy are a myth. According to a recent report by the Global Inequality Lab (2024), India's modern bourgeoisie is now unequal to the colonial powers led by the British Raj. Sanjay Baru (2021) in his book analyses that one of the major changes in the Indian power structure over the past seven decades has been the importance of money and wealth. Many regional power elites entered national elite networks by mobilizing economic capital and bargaining with national elites. The quest for power, equality and justice continues in India. Despite significant progress, challenges remain. Addressing these issues requires comprehensive approaches, social change and active participation of all sectors of society. The main objective of the paper is to analyse the issues related to power and growing inequality in India and give appropriate suggestions for justice in society.