Madhya Pradesh has set a disturbing precedent that goes against the very spirit of constitutional governance. On December 1, Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda and Minister of State Gautam Tetwal began a new practice: sitting in the state BJP office for two hours daily to hear and resolve the grievances of party workers.

Other ministers will follow on a rotational basis, effectively institutionalising a system where government authority is exercised from a party premises rather than the state secretariat. The arrangement may appear harmless, even efficient, to those who believe political workers deserve special access.

But the implications are far more serious. In communist regimes, the party secretary routinely........

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