From Democracy to Kakistocracy – The Indian Tryst is lost

At the stroke of the midnight hour, Pandit Nehru delivered a speech upon receiving Independence that is famously remembered as “tryst with destiny”. His speech went on to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts in the Independence Movement and called upon his countrymen to work together to bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman.

Today, democracy has become a negotiable concept to the extent that mass suspension of members of parliament is not a hot topic. Never in Indian history have you heard of 150 opposition MPs being suspended consecutively. There is no civil society movement. The ruling party MP justifies it saying they were asking too many questions. Media glorifies this “Ek akela sab per bhari”. That is open support to dictatorship.

In contemporary times democracy has been a subject of righteousness. Democracy is been as a model of government that cannot provide political stability in the long run. Democracy as a form a government isn’t necessarily bad but desire of a strong government has changed the narrative of about democracy. The primary challenge of practicing democracy is that as a form of government it has become a victim of misuse by right governments that have populist tendencies.

There is a rise in far right populist governments across the world. Due to this tendency there is a rise in extreme opinions. Citizens are usually far right or far left, with cancel culture being normalised. Right always right, majority wins are no longer overhyped statements they have become a subconcious programming code. The institution of polity has been linked with the institution of morality. The desire to be righteous has led to flawed decision making.

The reduction of democracy to merely an electoral mechanism has led to normalisation of electoral malpractices. Horse trading is glorified as Operation Kamal by the fourth pillar of democracy.

Recently, a picture went viral of mass burial of death bodies of Manipur violence victims. Yet the Prime Minister chose not to visit Manipur. Why hasn’t he visited Manipur? Is it because it is North East? Or is it because death due to hate is normal in India now?

Narendra Modi was possibly silent because he knows this human catastrophe is one where he can’t talk himself out of. Silence is preferable because he has no answers or solutions.

I wish Indians and even in the international community could outrage the same way for Manipur the way they are doing for Israel-Palestine. The Israel-Palestine war revealed our hidden racism, ego as well as the subconscious fascist inside us. Sadism is at it’s peak. The country is infested with hatred.

In Uttar Pradesh we saw a teacher instructing children to slap their classmates for religious differences. The Uttar Pradesh incident is merely not a problem of communalism but a symptom of sadism that has inflicted India deeply. If you are not bitter, sad or angry about this country then you are part of the problem.

From banning meat to passing bills that can curb public dissent, India has reduced itself to a morality cafe. The last nail of the coffin has gone in wrong in hands. In a country, where there is more discussion on religion in an era of unemployment and falling economy, can’t be called a democracy. Calling it a democracy, itself is an insult to the concept of a democracy. This normalized version of sadomasochism is assail.
Nationalism is that menace which can be refurbished to its initial panorama only by dissent.

In Karnataka the BJP being in opposition has restarted discussion on Hijab. Iran and India are two states that are more concerned about a women’s dress than her education. The former is killed to pull it off, the latter is humiliated to wear it. So much for a piece of cloth! Truth is, it was never about women, education, Islam, or theocracy. It’s a systematic illusion to divert the attention of the masses into a labyrinth, or an uncalled rhetoric.

Interestingly, an average Indian day begins and ends discussing religion. Then they boost secularism. Contradictions of secularism’s significance can’t be endured as an element of democratic dissent in a republic or be valued in the garb of freedom of speech & liberty of thought.

The emperor walks naked, the pied piper blows the flute, yet the blind men of the nation bow down in front of the king, calling him the greatest ever one-eyed man. That’s how the story of India goes, for, your ignorance is as good as my knowledge. No wonder, democracy has evolved itself to kakistocracy.

India has been unapologetically renamed as Bharat, the Prime minister chose to rename dishes upon his name in G20, yet the media is openly and unapologetically defending dictatorship. That’s where the tryst breaks.

The populism latching on to the politics of winners and losers is to mobilize psychically potent resentments & anger against the “outsiders” responsible for the pain of the “people”. While, the true terrorists of democracy are the ones heading the country. The answer isn’t authoritarianism. The answer isn’t populism or Chanakya. Neither idealism nor realism. When you fall in the labyrinth of doing good, you destroy the natural homogeneity of India. India is a chaotic contradiction. There is no correct answer. That is our beauty. Politics about unmaking the chaos. Diversity should be appreciated and utilised.

A country is a conversation if that conversation perceives equity as idealism to be politically correct then that conversation will only lead to non-negotiable arguments. People are the core of democracy, if they lose faith in its practicality and ideals then how can it be practiced.

People vote out of FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. People are more interested in proving themselves right by voting a party that has winning possibility than mere ideological inclination.

Lastly, all I have to say is this, democracy is a non-negotiable concept. It’s no longer about the effectiveness of an opposition, it’s about bitter acceptance of a reality, that is we are a kakistocracy. Time we choose between perfect politics and the need to resuscitate our Constitution. 2024 is a litmus test.

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