It is a happy coincidence that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is performing Bhoomi Pujan for the New Parliament Building Complex in the cational capital, we as a nation are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the conduct of the first elections in India. It may be noted that the first general elections were held in British India in 1920 to elect members to what was called the Imperial Legislative Council and the Provincial Councils. They were the first polls in the country’s modern history.
The new Central Legislative Assembly, which was the lower chamber of the Imperial Legislative Council, was based in Delhi; it had 104 elected seats, of which 66 were contested and 38 were reserved for Europeans elected through the Chambers of Commerce. Interestingly, women in British India got equal franchise a little before their British counterparts.
Historical records suggest that between 1919 and 1929, all of the British provinces as well as most of the princely states granted women the right to vote and in some cases, allowed them to contest local elections. Again, notably, the Gangotri of universal suffrage in modern India happens to be in Gujarat. It was Rajkot State that granted full universal suffrage in 1923!
Years ago, when I had the occasion of interacting with a few renowned researchers in democracy at a US university, I was aghast by the way they were rating Indian democracy. In that year, some two decades ago, they had rated Indian democracy below that of the system in Haiti.
When asked, a researcher-academic told me: “We rate it below because you have had the draconian rule of Emergency a few decades before!” I was taken aback by this response and that prompted me to elaborately explain how democracy is a part of India’s DNA and never in the past was any ruler able to impose an authoritarian rule for a long period all over the country.
Seen in this backdrop, although tragic, it may not be surprising to note that the global discourse about democracy has been largely oblivious to the democratic traditions ingrained in Indian culture.
This ignorance of foreigners notwithstanding, the fact remains that a democratic spirit was always part of the Indian ethos. One of the principal reasons for the survival of the Indian civilisation is the theoretical foundation of this spirit, which could easily be traced back to our long history of sustainable pluralism and spiritual democracy.
At no point of time in India’s history was the concept of a theocratic state a part of our ethos. There are several instances of Hindu kings large-heartedly welcoming visitors and traders from across the seas and ensuring that they enjoy complete freedom of worship. With notions such as ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti (the truth is one, but knowledgeable and wise persons interpret the same differently) firmly rooted in the essentially Hindu ethos, no foreigner belonging to an alien way of worship ever faced any discrimination here.
Undoubtedly, democracy in India has evolved with the spirit of accommodation as its central pillar. As a consequence, a democratic approach that negates monopolist or hegemonic tendencies has remained a part of the popular and hence, the political culture of India. Renowned political scientist Robert A Dahl, in fact, emphatically endorses this reality when he says that democracy is the ‘national ideology of India’. It is a well-known and widely accepted fact that the people of ancient India not only knew about democracy but also practised it in one way or another.
Ancient Indian scriptures such as Aitareya Brahmana are replete with references suggesting that apart from monarchy, republics too existed in India in the 4th century BCE. In fact, Dr B R Ambedkar had once famously observed, “There was a time when India was studded with republics and even where there were monarchies, they were either elected or limited. They were never absolute.” Historian and scholar Steve Muhlberger has pointed out: “By the time of Panini (5th century BCE), there was a terminology for the process of corporate decision-making.
Panini gives us the terms for vote, decisions reached by voting and the completion of a quorum.”
Choosing leaders or rulers by voting was prevalent in India for several centuries. Janapadas and Mahajanapadas existed some 2,500 years ago and there are instances where, in the past, some of the rajas were also chosen by the janas or the people. Many Buddhist scholars have also pointed out as to how rules of parliamentary procedures were applied by the Buddha to the meetings of the sanghas during his lifetime.
While all these are historical facts, it is also true that India needs to be more vocal about this history of democracy at the local level! These days, to be democratic is not enough; one has to articulately engage in advocacy of democracy. India can do so effectively on the global platforms in three ways. Firstly, by playing a bigger role in the United Nations’ Democracy Fund, an organisation of which our nation is a prime donor. Secondly, India, with its successful handling of multi-party democracy, should also try and contribute in political party building in new and emerging democracies. Thirdly, India should take the lead and cultivate concepts like development democracy and provide leadership to developing countries from amongst the democratic nations.
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe (vinays57@gmail.com)
President, ICCR, and BJP Rajya Sabha MP