Questions for the Republic

Context: Farmers’ protest shows loss of trust in processes of governance and is a reminder of the tyranny of laws.

India’s success story since Independence

• Emerged as a powerful voice in the comity of nations.
• Economic success: India is predicted to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2050.
• Success as a democracy: India successfully conducts the world’s largest electoral exercise.
• Governance: India conducted the largest digital individual identification programme and the largest vaccination programme in the world.
• Science and Technology: enviable success in the fields of space and nuclear programmes.

Negatives that hold back India’s success story.

• Lower ranking in various reports and Indices:
  • India ranks 144^th out of the 153 countries in United Nation’s World Happiness Report for 2020.
  • Ranks 51^st in the Economic Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index of 2019.
  • Ranks 129^th out of 189 countries in United Nation’s Human Development Index report of 2020. 
• Low spending on Health: Only 2% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is spent on securing the health of 1.3 billion people. 
• Skewed Income distribution: The richest 1% own 53% of the national wealth while the poorer half shares only 4.3 %.
• Society is under strain and in distress: Due to the rise of political extremism, domestic terrorism, escalating ethnic and caste-related violence, a pervading sense of hopelessness, bitterness, rage and the alienation of vast sections of our people.
• Not fulfilling promises of Constitution: Like assault on multi-culturalism negates our commitment to a common cultural heritage.
• Resilience of democracy is under threat: Due to Falling standards of moral rectitude in the conduct of politics, loss of inclusiveness and public contestation, etc.
• Denudation of moral legitimacy of democracy: Due to
  • Persecution of political opponents and laws constraining liberties.
  • Disturbed constitutional equilibrium of power and responsibility between the three branches of government.
  • Demonstrated disdain for the discipline of federalism and constitutional principle.
• Loss of confidence in the processes of governance: Due to selective enforcement of draconian laws.
• Problems with the pillars of democracy: Increasing dysfunctionality of Parliament and failure of accountability of other democratic institutions.
• Power over principle: polity that invokes moral relativism and promotes the triumph of power over principle.

Way forward

• Establish Constitutional morality as a national sentiment.
• Reject a willingness to be deceived: “lies don’t work unless they are believed”.
• Beware of trappings of authority and temptations of uncontrolled ambition.
• Choose leadership wisely: support leadership that is not “wrapped up in itself”.
• Commit ourselves to plurality: So that “disagreement need not lead to disunion”.