LDP is a political initiative in one of the north-eastern states of India, Assam. The intent is to create a political institution to create leadership and solutions to issues in order to improve the standard of living in the society. The ideological tenets are economic and social liberalism and social democracy.

1. Ideology of
Liberal Democratic Party

2. What is Liberal Democracy?
Liberalism
●
Economic liberalism
– Free & fair market
– Limited government
– Widening tax base
– Job creation
●
Social liberalism
– Personal freedom
– Emphasis on
individual
responsibility
Social Democracy
●
Social Welfare
– A greater tax base
leading to higher
social spending to
care for those who
cannot take care of
themselves
– Social
empowerment of
the socially
marginalised
through 'equality of
opportunity'

3. Ideological Map of Political Parties
Conservative Centrist Liberal Libertarian
Economic Perspective
Congress
CPM AAP LDP
BJP
If we plot the major political parties of India on a
2 x 2 matrix on two perspectives—social and
economic freedom—this is what we are likely to
get. A party like the CPM, while very liberal
socially, is very conservative on economic
agenda; it does not believe in private enterprise.
A party like the BJP is almost reverse: it believes
in economic liberalism, but is socially &
culturally very conservative. The Congress is
mostly centrist or status quoist. Most other
parties are somewhere in between. Communism
is a failed ideology.
LDP would be liberal in terms of both social and
economic agenda. The liberal part is that we
would promote business & entrepreneurship, as
well as personal freedom. The democracy part
refers to social democracy: that we would
promote social inclusion & welfare.
SocialPerspective
ConservativeCentristLiberalLibertarian

4. Ideological Challenges of Parties
Conservative Centrist Liberal Libertarian
Economic Perspective
BJP
The main challenge to BJP, India's current
ruling party, is the contradictory pulls it
experiences from within its ideological family.
The RSS/VHP would like it to be more
conservative in terms of social/personal freedom.
The Swadeshi Jagram Manch and Bharatiya
Mazdoor Sangh, two organisations affiliated to
the RSS, would like it to be less economically
liberal. Policy making would be affected as a
result of these contradictory pulls leading to
compromises or temporary truces.
The Congress is limited by dynasty and
corruption and AAP hasn't yet declared its
economic policies. Provision of free electricity
and water is a populist vote-catching tactic, but it
does not lead to economic (GDP) growth. The
same youth that got enamoured by free wifi,
would soon be asking: where are the jobs?
Congress
CPM AAP LDP
SocialPerspective
ConservativeCentristLiberalLibertarian

5. Ideological Positioning of LDP
Conservative Centrist Liberal Libertarian
Economic Perspective
Congress
CPM AAP LDP
BJP
LDP's opportunities are two-fold. One, the youth
of India/Assam wants increasing personal
freedom. Two, they want jobs. And how can there
be jobs without the promotion of business &
enterprise?
This is not a tactical positioning, its goes back to
our own heritage and civilisation. The essence of
the our civilization has always been its openness
to new ideas, including in the sphere of religion.
“Sarva Path Sambhav.” The truth is one, the
wise say it in various ways.
Assam has been the meeting ground of various
ethnicities, languages, cultures and religions
SocialPerspective
ConservativeCentristLiberalLibertarian

6. India's Local Party
'Liberal Democracy' as an ideology is fairly well-known all over the world. It
combines the ideas of 'liberalism' and 'social democracy'. However, the
practice of the ideology varies.
The party that has ruled Japan for most of its post-World War history is
called the Liberal Democratic Party, although it tends to be more
conservative on social matters. The Liberal Democratic Party in Australia
tends to be more libertarian than liberal. In the UK, the Liberal Democrats,
currently a partner of the Conservative Party in the ruling coalition,
maintains a fine balance of liberal and social policies.
While broadly moored in this framework, our Party should temper our
response to situations keeping in mind the ground realities in Assam. LDP
would start off regionally—in Assam—but if we do well and our ideas are
acceptable to the rest of the country, there is no reason why we cannot expand
nationally. However, wherever we are present, we would always be a 'local
party'.
The multinational bank HSBC, present in over 140 countries, calls itself the
'world's local bank'. The idea is that although they are present across the
world, they are sensitive to the culture and tradition of each country they
operate in. Think of LDP as 'India's local party'.