The ‘Idea of India’ as a paradigm for universal brotherhood, peaceful co-existence, tolerance, and social and religious harmony is jeopardised by sinister forces of religious fanaticism and ethnonationalism from within. A twisted, Hindutva supremacist agenda, propagated and perpetuated by the incumbent ultra-nationalist government, has sown the seeds of destruction for the hallowed principles of democracy enshrined in letter and spirit of the Indian constitution. The minds of Indians have become islands of prejudice and hatred, widening the “Us vs Them” chasm. They are dangerously and unwittingly leading a peaceful nation into anarchy.
Robert Dahl, a democratic theorist and political scientist at Yale University, proposed two acclaimed tests to examine the rigour of any democracy. They are inclusiveness and public contestation. The first pertains to a citizen’s right to freedom of speech and expression, accessibility of information and equal voting rights. The second proposition is a testimony to egalitarian participation by various political parties in seeking a political mandate through free and fair elections.
Dahl characterised democracies that allow competing ideologies and manifestos — where multiple actors could wield equal and substantial political power in deciding the destiny of its party and citizens — as ‘polyarchies’, which is the culmination of the concept of democracy. Historically, democracies have immensely benefited from constructive debates, rational decision making and inclusive growth.
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