Not by majority alone

Context:  Democracy is not the rule of elected majority alone and public morality and unelected institutions which provide necessary checks and balances.

Significance of unelected institutions and public morality in a democracy

• To prevent democracy from turning into Kleptocracy:
  • For E.g. In Ancient Greece, Athenians (democracy) sentenced Socrates to death, citing that he collaborated with Spartans (oligarchy). This sentence was based on voting by Athenians.
  • This event prompted Plato to dismiss Athenian democracy and declare it as a Kleptocracy- a state of unrestrained political corruption.
• To check the rise of dictatorship: Many democracies have witnessed the rise of dictators like Hitler and Mussolini while successful democracy like India has a fine balance of elected and non-elected institutions.
• Puts trust in the wisdom of people: as also the strength of the other institutions to safeguard the democratic process.
  • Mahatma Gandhi believed that a parliamentary system would work only for partisan interest and not for National interest.
  • His Ram Rajya (political state) was based on the sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority. – wrote in Harijan 1937.
• Emphasizes on public morality: True Gandhians chose syndication at the grassroots rather than an election to Parliament or legislative assemblies.
  • For democracies to succeed, both Gandhi and Ambedkar believed that the parliamentary majorities need to be restrained through constitutional ethics and public morality.
• To check majoritarian rule: Majoritarian rule without proper institutions may not fulfil the ideas of democracy as envisaged by Gandhi and Ambedkar.
• For Gandhi, democracy meant the weak getting the same chance as the strong.
• For Ambedkar, it was about giving voice to the voiceless and underscored the importance of social democracy for the success of political democracy.

Conclusion: India’s democracy thrived essentially because of the respect of the leaders for ethical constitutionalism and moral activism of the grassroots activists. Neither should see the other as an enemy and try to bring them down.