Why India is at risk of becoming a ‘diminishing democracy’

In her new book, Zoya Hasan holds a mirror to rising majoritarianism and what it means for freedom of expression, dissent and equality. Other writers like Rahul Bhatia, Aakar Patel and Seema Mustafa point at problematic laws which target minorities

Published - October 30, 2024 08:30 am IST

Women protesters at the protest site in New Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh.?

Women protesters at the protest site in New Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh.?

It is rare that the opening sentences of a book grip you, leaving you nodding in silent agreement. Yet this is what happened when I picked up veteran academic and writer Zoya Hasan’s new book,?Democracy on Trial: Majoritarianism and Dissent in India, published by Aakar Books. Its opening sentences read, “India is a thriving democracy when it comes to elections but a diminishing democracy when it comes to equality and freedoms. The very idea of a democracy based on equal rights irrespective of caste, class or faith has changed under the pressure of majoritarian politics which gained ground after the assumption of power by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2014.”

Hasan’s words took me back to Sambhal in western Uttar Pradesh where a large section of the electorate, mostly Muslims, were subjected to violence when they came to exercise their franchise in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Many voters showed their bruises to the media and alleged they were not allowed to cast their vote because of their religion. The allegation could not be proven yet the lingering thought remained: why were most people with injuries from a single community? Were they being wilfully denied their democratic right under an avalanche of majoritarianism with compromised institutions?

Failures of Congress

A little later in the book, Hasan provides the answer, writing, “Majoritarianism dominates politics in the current conjecture.” She then analyses how, even as we criticise the right-wing government today, the groundwork for its rise, incredibly, was laid by the Congress. Back in the mid-1980s, when the BJP was gasping for breath after winning two seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha election, the Congress’ politics gave the still nascent BJP the lifeline it needed. It came with the party’s dubious role in the entire Ayodhya saga; first the opening of the mosque’s lock in 1986, then the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 with Prime Minister Narasimha Rao at the helm.

As Aakar Patel analysed in?Our Hindu Rashtra?(Penguin), “In 1986…the court ordered the opening of the mosque to Hindu worshippers with the acquiescence of the Rajiv Gandhi government.” Three years later, Rajiv Gandhi allowed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to lay the foundation stone of “a future Ram temple”.

Hasan doesn’t hold back, writing, “The party’s ill-advised actions and inactions ended up creating a space for the Hindu right to play a more central role in public life. This undermined its own monopoly over political power.” Since 1992, the Congress has not formed the government at the Centre on its own. In 2014, the party notched up its worst numbers.

For all its paradoxical attitude towards minorities, the decline of the Congress has given a free run to majoritarian politics with the BJP using every trick in the book, and many outside the book, to ride roughshod over democratic norms, particularly, the pluralist ethos of the country. For instance, Hasan brings up the increasing political subjugation of the media. For long, India had a tradition of free press, broken only briefly during Indira Gandhi’s ill-advised Emergency. Yet, the media houses objected to many of her manoeuvres, unlike today when, as Hasan puts it, “Media (is) on government duty”. It is, of course, partly caused by the widely prevalent corporate ownership of media houses, as she points out.

“Indian news media landscape is vast but this vast landscape is owned by a few corporate houses. This trend started when Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries entered the media sector taking over Network 18, and several television channels, including CNBC TV 18, CNN-IBN and CNN Awaaz as well as online websites.” Needless to say, most media house owners have close ties with the government. It translates to prime-time anchors working like the government’s cheerleaders. This works for the corporate house, and it works for the government.

Shaheen Bagh and CAA

The passage of laws like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which introduces religion as a factor in granting Indian citizenship, and its links to a National Register of Citizens contradicts the protections provided to all communities in the Constitution, like the right to equality enshrined in Article 14. Hasan has discussed this constriction of rights threadbare in another of her recent works,?When People Rise in Protest, co-authored with Avishek Jha and published by Three Essays Collective.

Tracing what came to be called the Shaheen Bagh movement led by the homemakers of a south-east Delhi colony, Hasan contends that “the Shaheen Bagh protests were largely organised, led, and sustained by Muslim women who previously did not have an autonomous or significant presence in public life.” Hasan says Shaheen Bagh was a powerful symbol of civil disobedience in the face of countless pressures. The government, on its part, refused to talk to the protesters, and some of the statements from its top Ministers targeting minorities did not help. The Uttar Pradesh government used disproportionate force. The disengagement with a section of the citizenry was complete.

Rahul Bhatia’s new book,?The Identity Project?(Westland Books), also does not hold back on the controversial Act, stating, “The CAA gave refuge while the NRC took it away.”

Earlier, in 2020, Seema Mustafa had edited a volume on the protests in?Shaheen Bagh and the Idea of India?(Speaking Tiger Books) in which Hasan contributed an essay on ‘Occupying Streets: Women in the Vanguard of the Anti-CAA Struggle.’

In the Introduction, Mustafa points out that a group of women, led by elderly women in their eighties, “came out of their homes to safeguard their homes.” They wanted to ensure that their citizenship was not brought into question, that their youth remained assured of a future as equal citizens of India, and that their menfolk remained safe and secure, she writes.

Hasan’s books — like the tomes of Bhatia, Patel, and Mustafa — hold a mirror of Indian society and polity. They warn readers that India is at risk of soon having a democracy in body but not in spirit.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com