India’s immediate neighbourhood has witnessed quite a few instances of turbulence in recent years. The Aragalaya in Sri Lanka in 2022 led to people taking to the streets to protest against a severe economic crisis and ended up toppling Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government. Two years later, Bangladesh’s youth rose against Sheikh Hasina’s regime and its authoritarian excesses, while recently, Gen Z, fuming against the government’s crackdown on social media, brought change to Nepal. Pakistan’s civilian regime remains propped up by the army. India, of course, is an island of calm and stability amidst such regional turmoil. But the solidity of Indian democracy’s edifice and the steadfastness of its electoral rituals should not be a reason for complacency. Indeed, these restive times call for reflection. This is because India’s democracy, its depth notwithstanding, is far from perfect. In fact, the cynic would have reasons to spot some of the rashes that have led to democracy’s withering in India’s neighbours. Authoritarianism, the plague that plagued democracy in Bangladesh, is not unknown in New India: there is, in fact, mounting concern at the discrimination against minorities — religious and social — and at the weakening of civil liberties in India. Embedded inequality angered Nepal’s youth: the evidence of wealth concentration among India’s minuscule elite is difficult to deny. Social media, too, is not free from scrutiny in India and the internet has been put on a leash on numerous occasions; India topped the world when it comes to internet bans.
The reason why India has been spared the kind of public disaffection that has roiled polities elsewhere is the resilience of its democracy — in spirit and body. Indians have changed — not overthrown — governments through elections: institutions that serve as the vanguard of democracy have also upheld the democratic charter. But democracy does not function in a vacuum. It is also a work in progress. It is thus imperative to not only address the causes of inequality and social fissures but also augment the democratic processes and fortify institutions. The charges of electoral malpractice and the pusillanimity of some institutions — India’s legacy media finds itself among these — are thus reasons for concern. The people’s will is supreme. If it is obstructed by force, as it has been in India’s neighbourhood, it finds a way of expression through anarchy. India should never attempt to tame public will. Democracy — greater and better democracy — should be its natural conduit.