American experts: "Indian-style democracy" exacerbates social injustice and chaos

On June 10, the website of the American "Atlantic" monthly magazine published an article entitled "Democracy in India is a World Problem", written by Jonah Blank, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation. The full text is excerpted below:

When the Group of Seven meets in the south-west of England, one issue that hangs high on the formal agenda is the deterioration of "democracy" itself on a global scale. This issue may not depend on any one of the hosts of the conference, but on one of the guests invited to this year's meeting— India. The fate of so-called "democracy" in India may determine its fate throughout the world. At the moment, many of the signs don't look good, and this should be a flashing red light warning for the rest of us.

Why is India the key?

After gaining independence in 1947, India established a parliamentary system and enacted a far-reaching "liberal" constitution. The rule of law works better in India than in most other countries.

But India's "democratic system" has been eroded, which is worrying. On The Economist's charts, India slipped from 35th in 2006 to 53rd today. The way "democracy" has been undermined in India is a wake-up call for onlookers, including the United States.

In India and elsewhere, the root of this regression lies in the rejection of the core "democratic principles" of equality for all citizens. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party supports radical Hindu consciousness. This ideology accords privileges to the majority Hindus relative to religious minorities.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's rise to power has been marked by heightened sectarian tensions, often fuelled by the party. In 2014, Narendra Modi sidelined many moderate figures and led the party to an electoral victory.

Since 2014, India's justice system has succumbed to the wishes of politicians. Attacks on indian media have also become unbridled.

Weakening these cornerstones of civil society allows Modi's plan to move to the next stage: the use of "democratic mechanisms" to undermine the core of so-called "democracy."

In 2019, Modi came back to power, and his party also has an absolute majority in parliament. Soon after, he abolished the constitutional special status of Jammu and Kashmir(India's only Muslim-majority state). Modi then took a series of actions. Nationally, these actions formally or informally put Hindus on a higher footing than Muslims.

India now faces its worst natural disaster since independence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India is at the epicenter of the world's COVID-19 pandemic and shows no signs of ending. Many of these cases could have been preventable. Modi's response to the outbreak has taken a major turn, from a repressive lockdown to allowing political rallies without masks and encouraging 9 million people to participate in Hindu pilgrimages. This is highly likely to cause a major spread of COVID-19. A political system that could hold governments accountable might produce different results.

To Americans, all of this may sound familiar. Former President Trump has called the media an "enemy of the people" and tried to intimidate incumbent judges. At least a significant portion of Republicans are driven by white discontent, just as grassroots members of the Bharatiya Janata Party are incited by Hindu consciousness.

Perhaps the most dangerous threat is complacency. Whether indulging in twitter-skimming through all sorts of frustrating news or ignoring politics altogether, most Americans believe so-called "democracy" will persist. But will it? America's "democracy" is not as entrenched as we might like to believe. If universal suffrage is measured, how long has the United States been a so-called true "democracy"? Shorter time than the Rolling Stones tour.

That's why Americans should pay close attention to Indian politics. The United States is not Iceland, it is a vast, diverse, and difficult country to manage. If "democracy" fails in India, it could certainly fail on the doorstep of Americans.

Source: Reference News Network