On the eve of our 74th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu rightly hailed “the spirit of India” as well as our Constitution. The latter, she averred, had stood the test of time. Indeed, India’s success as the world’s largest democratic republic, in face of so many odds, adversities, and adversaries, is almost miraculous. It is the stuff that legends are made of. It is our differences which have united us, Murmu added. After all, unity and uniformity are two entirely different things. The former is essential to any great nation, but the latter is stifling. A monochromatic identity has never been the mark of Indian civilisation.
Today, India is proud to be the fifth-largest economy in the world. But let us not forget that in 1950, when India became a republic after giving itself a Constitution, it was already the sixth-largest economy in the world. That too after independence and partition. In a sense, it has taken so long to catch up to where we once were. We have much more catching up to do because as recently as a couple of hundred years ago, we were the world’s greatest economy. Similarly, India’s development markers, whether in life expectancy, literacy, or in terms of freeing our masses from the curse of poverty, have all shown remarkable advancement. Without question, the most impressive strides have been made under the stewardship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When the Republic Day parade rolls out in the renovated and revamped Central Vista, no Indian can help but feel justifiably proud. Raj Path has indeed turned into Kartavya Path. The parade itself is undoubtedly a colonial legacy. But it is still necessary to instil confidence that the Republic stands strong to protect the life and liberty of its citizens. Despite enemies on our borders, India has shown its resolve to protect its borders and its way of life.
That brings me also to some causes for concern. Is it true that India, though an electoral democracy, is quite behind, as some foreign agencies put us, in the freedom index? For instance, if we look at the mass media today, we find that, to a large extent, it ends up parroting and promoting the government line, with anchors hectoring, sermonising, and lecturing audiences on what to think or believe. On matters of security and national integrity, such consonance is understandable, even desirable. But every discussion or debate cannot be turned into a cat-and-dog fight between supporters and opponents of the government.
Social media, with its troll armies and sponsored bots, can be even more toxic and divisive. Managing the narrative seems so much more important than being truthful or reporting what is both factually and ethically accurate. There is behind this intolerance of dissent the mistaken, but assiduously peddled idea, that criticising the government is tantamount to anti-nationalism or anti-patriotism. Without a free and fair discussion, how will good ideas emerge? Unless the official narrative is challenged from time to time, how will a democratically elected government be held accountable?
Does this mean that once a leader or party has won an election, they are not accountable to the public? Seeking feedback on government websites is not the same as public discussions and engagement with people on important policy matters. We saw what a huge debacle the farm laws were. One reason, surely, is the lack of proper consultations and confidence building among the stakeholders. The laws were, and still, are a crying need, if Indian agriculture is to be freed from the clutches of middlemen, rich farmers, and those who force the government to buy their crops whether we need them or not. But taking decisions without thorough discussions or consultations seems to be the order of the day.
In addition, the continued use of colonial laws, including sedition, to target opponents of the regime, as also the possible misuse of central enforcement agencies, is a bad practice that does not behove a confident ruling party, let alone a great republic. Alas, such tendencies are visible not only in India, but in other major democracies.
Centralising authority, weakening ministries, undermining anyone who dares to sing a tune different from the official one — all these are signs of the weakening of our swaraj. What will happen is that sycophancy will be rewarded, competence neglected, and power even more centralised. When you live in an echo chamber you will not hear the voices of the people. History has shown over and over again that the more power an individual leader accumulates, the more isolated and cut off from reality she is liable to be.
I lived, as a young boy, through the dark days of the Emergency. Not only was the Constitution, including our fundamental rights, tampered with, if not suspended, but the press was muzzled too. I remember black -bordered blank pages published by major dailies to mark that dark day. The press, however, especially The Indian Express, led by the formidable Ram Nath Goenka, did not give in so easily. Most ordinary people, however, lived in daily dread of reprisals. Even those who had nothing to fear kowtowed to the regime and its agents. But Indira Gandhi lost badly when she, fortuitously for India, declared elections in 1977.
No ruling regime can afford to be seen as more commanding than accommodating, more intolerant than inclusive. If vital lessons are to be learned from the past, the people of India are not dumb or foolish. They do not like leaders who are arrogant or who take them for granted. No single party or leader has a permanent claim, let alone monopoly, to their loyalty or affection. No matter how huge the personality cult is, inflated effigies are brought down into the dust in a matter of months.
I am a great optimist as far as India is concerned. So, I believe, are most of the 1.4 billion of my fellow citizens. But let us remember that this country belongs to us — we the people of India. We are not ruled by princes, potentates, kings, emperors, viceroys, dictators, presidents-for-life, or general secretaries of single parties controlling an entire country. Our leaders, however great, are our elected representatives, not monarchs or sovereigns. They serve at our pleasure, not we at theirs. That is the real meaning and message of Republic Day.
The writer is an author, columnist and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views are personal.
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