IF the essence of true democracy was confined to textbooks and constitutional definitions, there would have been no need to deliberate on its importance in India.
It is ironic that on one hand India is globally hailed for being world’s largest democracy and on the other hand, time and again, most of us are forced to reflect on the issue as to whether true democracy prevails in India or not?
Is India really a democratic country in the true sense? Are all Indian citizens given their rights ensured in a democratic disposition?
Sadly, it would be very difficult to declare India a totally democratic country. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that India, since independence from the British, has never been a truly democratic country. Prospects of achieving a true democratic character are still dim as they were a few decades ago.
As far as a material progress is concerned, it is true that India and Indians are moving at an amazingly fast pace. The questions about India’s democratic credentials have become more relevant than ever before as it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the nature of “democratic” politics being practiced or should one say shown off by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial hopeful, Narendra Modi.
In a bid to get rid of his sordid communal past, Modi is apparently going overboard to convince the world and Indians of his love for democracy.
Soon after the Patna blasts Modi wasted little time in reaching out to the victims to express sympathy to them. Should this be viewed as a democratic step taken by a democratic leader?
Such measures are nothing but political gimmicks aimed at building the image of a leader whose reputation precedes him.
Did Modi ever express his sympathy in a similar manner toward Muslims affected by the Gujarat pogrom? Everybody knows the answer to this question.
Some might say let bygones be bygones. What about the recent Muzaffarnagar riots?
Against this backdrop, what can be said about Modi’s “democratic” approach toward Indian Muslims? Is it confined to some of them attending his rallies and other political functions as a part of the crowd? Even if it is accepted that to some degree Modi has succeeded in gaining support of a few Muslims, the following question remains unanswered. To what extent, has Modi really displayed his democratic support for Indian Muslims in his own state (Gujarat) and other parts of the country?
Modi’s “democratic” approach is probably limited to his own political circle and his own political stand regarding his personal political ambitions.
He has stepped out of Gujarat and is testing his political reach on the national platform. As the one, who is trying to be recognized as a national leader, it is expected of Modi to pay equal attention to the democratic rights of all Indian citizens. At least, his electoral campaign should focus on creating this image. If Modi could display his sympathy for those affected by Patna blasts, what prevented him from being equally sympathetic toward Muslims still suffering from the impact of Gujarat carnage and those recently affected by Muzaffarnagar riots.
Maybe, Modi’s approach toward Indian democracy is defined by his own political priorities and that of the party supporting him. But then, doesn’t democracy demand that a leader should give greater importance to the needs and views of the people he claims to be the leader of? If Modi is in fray for prime ministerial position, isn’t he expected to redefine his approach to include democratic aspirations of the Indian community as a whole and not just his own?
He is expected to, but hasn’t yet started taking notable steps in this direction. After all, it cannot be ignored that if to a degree democracy is still vibrant in this country it is because of the prevalent democratic sense at the grassroots level.
It is the common Indian and not the leaders’ rhetoric that has kept the democratic spirit still alive in this country.
Can Modi claim to be a truly democratic, Indian leader on the basis of certain opinion polls results? The answer would have been yes if all the opinion polls could be labeled as truly reflective of the Indians’ stand. Certainly, these opinion polls gain importance during electioneering. But the veracity of results of such polls is questionable. Moreover, there is no guarantee that even 50 percent of the ones who took part in one of these polls would even cast their votes. So even if Modi’s vision of his success rides atop these opinion polls, he still cannot claim to be a true democratic leader.
