Skip to main content

Why India’s democracy is on path of steep decline, turning into electoral autocracy

By Bharat Dogra 

India recently celebrated 75 years of Independence. While there are many reasons of happiness and pride while observing this important anniversary, perhaps the most important feeling should be of the compelling need to stand up at this critical time for saving and protecting democracy in India. The reason is that during the last 8 years of the NDA/BJP regime democracy has come under increasing strain in India.
The people of India have for long taken well-deserved pride in their democracy but this is now changing. A recent India Today poll had 48% of the respondents stating that the democracy is in danger while 37% said that it is not, with 15% not responding.
Social activists, academics, students, journalists and opposition leaders have faced more arrests, harassment, intimidation and assaults in recent times compared to any other time during the last four decades. Although the emergency of 1975-77 was even worse in terms of the number of political opponents arrested, it lasted for less than 2 years before the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced its end. However there is no telling when the present phase of the assault on human rights and civil liberties, as witnessed during the NDA/BJP regime (2014-continuing) will end.
Fr. Stan Swamy was a Jesuit priest who devoted himself to serving the poorest tribal communities all his life. He was arrested in October 2020 at the age of 83. As his health deteriorated rapidly in jail, messages poured in for his release. These were ignored and he died nine months later on July 5, 2021. Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders, said that she is devastated and Fr. Swamy was arrested on false charges.
G.N.Saibaba, who taught in a Delhi college, is 90% disabled physically. After his arrest, he was placed in an egg-shaped cell, designed to make him visible all the time but very inconvenient for a person of severe disability. On top of this when CCTV was also installed , he had to go on a hunger strike to get some relief.
Teesta Setalvad, a lawyer, activist and journalist who devoted herself for decades to helping victims of violence and riots, became co-petitioner with a woman who had seen her husband being killed before her eyes by rioters in Gujarat in 2002. This petition was not just dismissed but in addition Setalvad has been arrested. Mary Lawlor has said that Teesta Setalvad is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination, while asking for her release. Two police officers who helped to expose facts relating to riots are also in jail.
Himanshu Kumar had felt inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to work among the poorest tribal communities in Chattisgarh. When he drew attention to serious human rights violations and atrocities, his office was demolished. His petition to court was not just rejected but in addition he was asked to pay a huge fine and guidelines for further proceedings against him were issued.
Even when some victimized activists and opponents get some relief some courts, the tactic of implicating them in some other case is used to prolong their imprisonment. Opposition leader Jignesh Mewani and journalist Mohammed Zubair provide recent examples of this, although they finally got some relief from judiciary.
On May 3 World Press Freedom Day ten leading international organizations called for stopping assaults on press freedom in India. The Watch of the State initiative of the Polis project has mentioned 256 incidents of assaults and intimidation of journalists in India between May 2019 and August 2021.
Minorities have become significantly more insecure during the last 8 years or so of the NDA-BJP regime. They have faced entirely avoidable assaults and insults in matters relating to food, dress, livelihood and place of worship. Those accused of terrible violence against them, or of issuing threats of future violence, have been time and again allowed to escape serious punishment.
Democratic reforms introduced by the previous regime relating to right to information and transparency by the previous UPA/Congress government have suffered a huge setback. A scheme of election bonds was perfected in 2017 to allow the ruling party BJP to amass huge funds in conditions of complete non-transparency. Massive funds collected in this way not only help to win elections, these ( as well as intimidation)have been also used to topple state governments of opposition parties.
The Varieties of Democracy Institute, Sweden, has stated that India’s democracy is on a path of steep decline turning it into an ‘electoral autocracy’. Certainly the spirit of democracy has been increasingly missing in recent times and when this happens in a country of 1.3 billion people, then this has serious worldwide implications for democracy. Nevertheless, what still keeps hope alive is the robust resistance still being shown by several citizens, activists and media persons as well as opposition parties. Democratic traditions strengthened over several decades will not collapse so easily and a very good way of observing the 75th independence anniversary by Indian citizens will be to strengthen their commitment to democracy.
---
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now and was formerly, Honorary Convener of National Campaign for People’s Right to Information. His recent books include ‘A Day in 2071’, ‘Planet in Peril' and ‘Man over Machine—a Path to Peace'

Comments

TRENDING

Dev Anand ably acted as westernised, urban educated, modern hero, as also anti-hero

By Harsh Thakor  On September 26th we celebrated the birth centenary of legendary actor Dev Anand. Dev Saab carved out a new epoch or made a path breaking contribution in portraying romanticism and action in Bollywood cinema, giving his style or mannerisms a new colour. Arguably no Bollywood star manifested glamour in such a dignified or serene manner or struck the core of an audience’s soul in romantic melodies. Possibly we missed this evergreen star being cast in a Hollywood film. Dev Anand is like an inextinguishable soul of Bollywood. Although not as artistic or intense as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor or Ashok Kumar ,Dev Anand surpassed them all for liveliness or flamboyance, with his performances radiating g energy on the screen, in realms rarely transcended. In his own right, Dev Saab, was a craftsman, like his classical contemporaries, with a characteristic composure. Perhaps never was a Bollywood star so suave, bubbling or charming as Dev Anand, who often looked like an Indian versi

Why Govt of India, Sangh Parivar want to stop the use of ‘India’? What's in a name?

By Ram Puniyani  Coincidentally after the opposition parties came together to form INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance), the ruling BJP is desisting from the use of word India in official communiqués and its parent organizations RSS has issued a fatwa that only word Bharat should be used for our country. While inviting the representative’s participants of G 20, the President issued the invitation in the name of ‘Rashtrapati of Bharat’. Since then BJP is on the track of avoiding the use of the word India in all its pronouncements, saying this word smacks of colonial legacy since this word was given to the country by British colonial rulers. Mr. Hemant Biswa Sarma of BJP said that word India is part of the colonial legacy and should be removed. RSS chief and other functionaries have intensified this message. Speaking at a function at Guwahati Mr. Bhagwat, stated “We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak Eng

Significant step towards empowering and particularly engaging with informal workers

ActionAid note on drive to empower informal sector workers Odisha with the support of District Labour Department: *** The Odisha Unorganised Workers Social Security Board (OUWSSB) facilitated an Unorganized Workers Awareness Camp at the Red Cross Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The event took place in collaboration with the District Labour Department at Khordha, Centre for Child and Women Development and ActionAid Association. This informative event aimed at empowering informal sector workers by disseminating crucial information regarding their eligibility for various social security schemes provided by the Government of Odisha.

Grassroots NGO enlightens people of Kupwara with intricacies of Right to Information

J&K RTI Foundation and Founder Civil Rights Movement Kupwara note on how RTI Pend is empowering Kupwara with insights on Right to Information Act: *** RTI Pend, the grassroots initiative aimed at democratizing access to information, hosted its 2nd event in Kupwara. On the request of the Civil Rights Movement Kupwara, this event was tailored to enlighten the people of Kupwara with the intricacies of the Right to Information Act, presented in their local language and dialects. The event successfully bridged both offline and online participation, addressing queries on the spot and offering applicants practical solutions.

Abrogation of Art 370: Increasing alienation, relentless repression, simmering conflict

One year after the abrogation by the Central Government of Art. 370 in Kashmir, what is the situation in the Valley. Have the promises of peace, normalcy and development been realised? What is the current status in the Valley? Here is a detailed note by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties , “Jammu & Kashmir: One Year after Abrogation of Art. 370: Increasing Alienation, Relentless Repression, Simmering Conflict”:

Why originality of Gandhi's thoughts, example of his life still inspire people world over

By Moin Qazi*  Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary reopens a familiar debate around his legacy every year. How could a frail man use his moral strength to galvanize 400 million Indians in their struggle for independence from the mighty British Empire? How did Gandhi inspire ordinary people to turn fear into fearlessness and anger into love? What were his tools for fighting colonialism? How could he inspire the world to embrace his philosophy of nonviolence? What can we learn from him today? And is he still relevant?

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor  Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

Sewer workers not given ESI cards that would ensure health benefits they need the most

A note by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), an organization working for the issues of sanitation workers in Delhi NCR, on right to life and dignity which still seems light years away for sewer workers: *** Exploitation of Sewer workers is not just a labour issue, but it is rooted in the caste system and cannot be separated from the historical socio-religious-cultural-economic exploitation of the Dalit community! Stated Mr. Y.S. Gill, Senior Journalist and Documentary Film maker in the press conference organised by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) in Integrated Social Initiatives (ISI), Lodhi Road, New Delhi on issues of sewer workers in Delhi. The press conference was attended by a number of community members, activists, members of the civil society, students etc.

Agro-biodiversity through seed identification, conservation, replication, crop selection

By Kuntal Mukherjee, Basant Yadav, Shivnath Yadav* This article is mainly based on a journey of the three of us since 2010 based on field experience, study of different articles, reflective journeys with local community based organisations, villagers and practitioners in Chhattisgarh. The slow growth of Agriculture in India with near stagnation in productivity since mid ‘80s in contrast to the remarkable growth during the green revolution period has come to the front as a great concern. In post WTO era Indian Agriculture has been witnessing structural changes, uncontrolled influx of agriculture goods and commodities from foreign countries due to open market nature. The gradual reduction in subsidies from internal production leads to increasing cost of production of agriculture produces at the farm gate. It causes gradual decrease in internal production as well as productivity and posing threats to small farm and stakeholders. 

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.