At times it seems that Indian democracy mutates faster and more bewilderingly than the Covid virus. In the mid-1960s it was described as an astonishing phenomenon—a functioning anarchy. Then a learned journalist labelled it quite aptly as ‘dynastic democracy’. Another coined the term ‘illiberal democracy’. It has been clear for some years that we live under a dispensation that has always been ‘democracy with a difference’. Rajni Kothari had pointed out long years ago that to keep referring to the Westminster Model was not very useful in the time of single-party dominance. The founding fathers who drafted what was conceived as a transformational Constitution could have had no inkling at that point of time that in years to come that the baby would be valued much less than the bathwater. What we are witnessing is the slow sad demise of democracy—in any form—enfeebled by self-inflicted thousand cuts.
Democracy, students in the school were once taught, is Government of the People, by the People, for the People. People were supreme as it was they—nay, WE—who gave unto ourselves the Constitution. This is the constitution that was aptly described by PM Narendra Modi as the only ‘Holy Book’ that should govern the life of all Indians. What is distressing is that We the People of India have for all practical purposes been dispensed with in democracy as it survives today. Some political scientists are of the view that it’s totally dysfunctional. Divisive demagogues have brought India to the brink of disaster. Anarchy is staring us in the face.
Recent events are chilling. Democracy sans the people, democracy by jumlas and tireless coinage of acronyms and alliterating slogans, democracy by image and event management, democracy by ‘spin doctors’, democracy at the mercy of marketing-advertising ‘professionals’ who have discovered the power of the fake/paid news. Indian democracy is truly lost in a maze.
Full-page colourful ads celebrating achievements of governments, ‘gifts’ of our benevolent if authoritarian leaders have pushed news away from the Front Page. The socialites that once populated Page Three have morphed into ‘celebrities’ hanging on to the coattails of politicians in power. Filmstars and sporting icons, poets, musicians and dancers (almost all) have hitched their wagon to the rising stars. The self-styled ‘largest opposition’, the Indian National Congress, ceased to be a political party long ago. No one in the right senses refers to the mom- and children-run Family Enterprise as the Dynasty anymore. Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka, and their forever warring retainer sycophants have reduced the lot to caricatures that fail to evoke even derisive laughter. With enemies like this who needs friends?
More than once in the past weeks, we have been startled by the brazen disregard of the people and reckless denial of harsh reality. When work finally starts on a state-of-the-art international airport in the NCR and the project is dedicated to the nation with much fanfare, it turns out that the accompanying image depicting the realised dream has been shamelessly borrowed from the Chinese album. This inanity is matched by using the face of a famous Dalit writer from Tamil Nadu to represent a slum-dweller in Delhi. In both cases, the buck has been passed to the advertising agency. Doesn’t the client—the government or the political party—have any responsibility to provide a brief and check the copy and layout? Ignorance, arrogance and indifference are obviously not the fatal flaws of political masters alone. Their servants have certainly caught the deadly viruses. Inspired by a Hollywood film they seem to be merrily and compulsively playing the dangerous game of ‘Catch Me if You Can!’
Then there are serious concerns pertaining to intelligence. Not the IQ of our rulers but intelligence credible and actionable that dictates responses of security forces against those who threaten our independence and territorial integrity. What happened in Nagaland is shocking. The government, for once, has admitted that the operation to eliminate insurgents-terrorists went horribly wrong. It has been left with no choice but to apologise and promise that a high-level inquiry will be instituted and the guilty will not be spared. We have heard these words before. They ring hollow. They can bring no solace to the bereaved. The situation all along our borders from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh and Northeastern states is volatile. There has been an increase in violent incidents from the UT of J&K to Manipur.
No time for chest-thumping boasts and whipping up xenophobia. Enough damage has been done along the ‘periphery’ by following partisan electoral strategies by larger-than-life strong men with feet of clay. Irresponsible provocative statements made by men who should know better about ‘identifying and lynching terrorists’ put men in uniform in a difficult spot. It also exposes innocent civilians to mortal risk. Dangerous portents of increasing alienation and disaffection are disturbing..
Pushpesh Pant
Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
pushpeshpant@gmail.com