Indira Gandhi hit the last nail in the coffin so to speak, when she made the President subservient to the cabinet. The making of the president a figurehead was complete.
The costs have been many. Too many to list.
Everything is decided by the PM and the cabinet. That means everything is pure politics, always serving the party in power. Effectively, one source of checks and balances was eliminated.
The decay of Indian democracy was firmly planted on the down slopes of history.
The task before the country is to undo everything from Indira Gandhi’s times. Can the country afford a fractious mandate in 2014? That would be disastrous to say the least.