India in Permanent Election Mode
- Democracy in Theory vs Practice
- Caste and Communalism: The Core of Electoral Behavior
- Criminalization of Politics
- Do Elections Improve People’s Lives?
Regional Politics and the Illusion of Choice
A critical analysis of democracy in India—examining caste politics, elections, governance failures, and comparisons with China’s development model.
Is democracy suited to India?
By Justice Markandey Katju
Elections for the state assemblies of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and the union territory of Pondicherry in India are going to take place shortly. Thereafter also elections in some states and union territories are due. There are 28 states and 8 union territories in India, so somewhere or the other, elections are either taking place, or their preparations are going on. In other words, India is permanently in an election mode.
The question, therefore, naturally arises: Is democracy suited to India?
In general, and in the abstract, democracy sounds a rosy word. After all, what could be better than people ruling themselves?
But we have to see not democracy in general or in the abstract, but how it is actually practised in India.
Everyone who has even a little knowledge of Indian politics knows that in India, politics runs largely on the basis of caste and communal vote banks. When 90% of our people go to vote, they do not see the candidate's merit, whether he is a good person or bad, educated or uneducated, criminal or not, etc. They also do not have in mind whether unemployment or prices of essential commodities are rising. All they see is the candidate's caste or religion ( or the caste or religion his party claims to represent ).
This is proved by the fact that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, almost half the MPs elected had criminal backgrounds.
What does this prove? It proves that most voters in India do not care to see whether the candidate they vote for is a criminal or not; they just see his caste or religion. Phoolan Devi, who was a notorious dacoit who had killed dozens of people, was elected to the Lok Sabha just because she belonged to a backward caste, which was numerous in her constituency.
Casteism and communalism are feudal forces, which have to be destroyed if India is to progress, but democracy ( as practised in India ) further fortifies and entrenches them ( because it runs on their basis ). How then can democracy be said to be good for India?
The test of every political activity is one, and only one: does it raise the standard of living of the people? Does it give them better lives? From that perspective, it is obvious that democracy, as practised in India, does not give people better lives.
For example, how does it matter whether the DMK or the ADMK wins the forthcoming Tamil Nadu state assembly elections? It matters neither Tweedledum nor Tweedledee to the people of Tamil Nadu, because it will make no difference to the miserable lives of most Tamilians.
I was interviewed by a journalist, Neelu Vyas, before the Bihar state assembly elections last year, and was asked my opinion about the numerous complaints of alleged 'vote chori' ( vote theft ) in Bihar due to the SIR and alleged rigging by the Election Commission of India.
I said there should be more vote chori, in the sense that most people of India should not be given the right to vote, as they don't deserve it ( since they will vote on caste and communal lines ).
Even if elections in Bihar had been conducted fairly, most Biharis would still have voted on caste and communal lines. At most, that may have resulted in change in leadership, Nitish Kumar being replaced by Tejasvi Yadav as the Chief Minister, but it would not have made any difference in the miserable lives of most Biharis.
As the slave girl Manthara said to Queen Kaikeyi in Ramcharitmanas :
"Koi nrip hoye hamein ka haani
Chedi chaand ka hoib rani "
i.e
"How does it matter to me who will be the next king ( Ram or Bharat )
Will I cease to be a slave and become a Queen ? "
Democracy is an institution meant for people with rational minds. But the minds of most Indians is full of casteism and communalism ( which I call 'gobar' or cow dung ). How then can it be said that democracy is suited to India?
Freedom and democracy are not ends in themselves, they can only be a means to an end, and that end must be raising the standard of the people, and giving them better lives. If democracy and freedom serves to achieve that end, they are good, but not otherwise. As pointed out earlier, in India democracy further entrenches and fortifies casteism and communalism, which are feudal forces and huge barriers to our country's progress. Freedom in India includes freedom to polarize society and incite and spread caste and religious hatred.
So do Indians deserve freedom and democracy?
China has no democracy or freedom to criticize the government. There are no elections, and the Chinese leaders are totally focused on economic development, unlike our leaders who are focused on building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, or cow protection ( to get votes ).
The result has been that China has become a superpower, and has lifted 80 to 90 crores of its 140 crore people out of poverty
On the other hand, the vast majority of Indians are leading miserable lives, with massive poverty and unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second child in India is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for our masses, etc.
Chinese GDP is about $ 20 trillion, whereas Indian GDP is said to be about $ 4 trillion ( and many doubt even this figure )
In my opinion democracy, as practised in India, is totally unsuited to India, and the solution to our massive socio-economic problems lie outside, not within, the framework of the Indian Constitution.
This means a mighty people's struggle, led by genuinely patriotic modern minded leaders, which will be protracted, and in which tremendous sacrifices will have to be made, culminating in a historical people's revolution which will set up a political and social order under which there is rapid industrialization and steady rise in the standard of living of the people.
There is no other way out from their poverty and other great socio-economic evils for the Indian people.
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)
