Democracy, where the government is formed by the people and its laws, policies, and leadership are implemented directly or indirectly by the people, is widely accepted worldwide as the best form of government. However, it’s not without its challenges. Even the most established democracies around the globe face different hurdles, varying from country to country. To grasp the challenges confronted by Indian democracy, we must engage in dialogue with young Indians like Mudassir Qamar, a Ph.D. scholar from Pondicherry University; Samar Firdous, M.A. in English Literature at Ranchi University; and Rishal Gafoor, who holds an M.A. in English from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Mudassir Qamar, Ph.D. scholar, Pondicherry University
Indian democracy at 75 faces multiple challenges. India, with its diverse cultures, religions, languages, castes, and regions, experiences a pervasive preoccupation with political discourse, often overshadowing personal and professional conversations. Polarization persists across religious, caste, linguistic, and regional lines, propagated through multimedia and social media networks. Maintaining a balance in community relations and fostering a sense of belonging for all citizens is crucial. Despite my optimism, I harbor concerns about our democracy.
Minorities, including Muslims and Christians, and marginalized groups encounter escalating challenges from both state and non-state actors. Concerns over personal laws, culinary preferences, and religious sites regularly dominate national media discussions. Trespassing in mosques and churches poses a threat to religious freedom, underscoring the need to protect minority religious institutions. However, strict controls on the right to religious practice and propagation, along with anti-propagation laws enacted by some state governments, risk hindering communal harmony.
Media outlets, particularly from marginalized sections, face mounting pressure from the state. Instances like Media-One’s recent ordeal, where the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to renew its security clearance due to editorial concerns, highlight this issue. Ensuring an environment where free media can thrive, regardless of alignment with official narratives, is imperative.
Opposition politicians, particularly from regional parties, endure continual crackdowns from law enforcement agencies. Party-switching among state legislators destabilizes governments, undermining democratic mandates. Civil society organizations and independent think-tanks, essential for a healthy democracy, face financial constraints due to canceled FCRA licenses. University students and faculty encounter increasing obstacles from both central and state governments, with research scrutiny and police crackdowns becoming commonplace.
The abrupt house demolition campaigns in northern India, lacking proper procedures like adequate notice periods, raise concerns among minorities and marginalized groups. There’s a prevailing fear that dissenting voices may result in punitive measures like home demolition. To sustain a vibrant democracy, ensuring free and fair elections, promoting decentralized governance, and combatting dynastic politics, nepotism, and corruption are essential. Despite the challenges, there remains hope that the political class will acknowledge and rectify their actions.
Samar Firdous, M.A in English Literature, Ranchi University
The term democracy means “of the people, for the people, and by the people.” It’s a system that provides and ensures human rights. As we know, India is a democratic country, but nowadays Indian democracy is facing various challenges. Here, I’ll consider three main challenges.
Freedom of opinion and expression is one of the fundamental rights that the Indian Constitution gives to every citizen. However, in recent years, the government’s repeated allegations against students and social workers who were fighting against oppression, and sending them to jail, raise questions on freedom of expression. The government’s attempt to suppress the voices of students and social activists is a blow to democracy.
Putting journalists in jail on serious charges like UAPA is another major challenge to Indian democracy. The media is the main pillar of any democratic country, known as the communicator between the government and the public. It’s the duty of the media to reveal the actions of the government to the public and also to be the voice of the public. For this reason, freedom of the press becomes very important. However, if we talk about India, according to the World Press Freedom Index report, India’s rank in press freedom is 161 out of 180 countries. The efforts being made to stifle true journalism and India’s declining rank in press freedom pose a challenge to democracy.
Communal violence and mob lynching in the name of religion are also becoming challenges for Indian democracy. Freedom to believe and adopt any religion has been granted in Indian democracy. However, the inhuman incidents happening in the name of religion raise the question of whether the followers of minority religions living among the majority people are safe.
Indian democracy is under threat, and it’s the duty of every citizen to continue fighting for the protection of their rights and those of others and to keep raising their voice against oppression and injustice.
Rishal Gafoor, MA English, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) Hyderabad, Telangana
Being an Indian, a participant in the “world’s largest democracy,” isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, as others assume. While the whole nation is celebrating the 75th Republic Day, 21 crore Indian Muslims out there, cheated and humiliated by the state, are questioning their identity and citizenship within Indian soil.
The Indian state has always been known for its diverse cultural and religious factors that coexist harmoniously for centuries. Harboring a plethora of religious communities was never a big deal for the subcontinent apart from rare riots and communal tensions. But the advent of the BJP government and its Hindutva project is leading a democratic country into a civil crisis where a huge chunk of minority rights are discarded without even basic concern.
A democratic country is always answerable to its irrevocable constitution, and when that ceases to exist, the state is no longer democratic. The biggest blow to Indian democracy was hailing the Ram Mandir over the ruins of the Babri Masjid – an act of violating the secular principles the nation harbors.
The BJP-led NDA government is advancing its Uniform Civil Code Act, which again endangers the constitution and, thus, democracy. Democratic proponents can and will only be tackled by communal propaganda, and the Modi government is successfully sowing seeds of hate and detest throughout the nation. It’s high time that we come to our senses, and collectively address the Muslim question on Indian soil as a “united ummah” rather than dividing the community’s electoral answer.
The secular fabric of the country is already in danger. The democratic fabric has started to wear off. Indian democracy is on the brink of an unprecedented collapse, where, in no time, it will tumble as a majoritarian state where minority rights and existence will go unattended. How long will Indian Muslims have to wait to be “Indian” enough, or is it an unrequited hope?