Post #12: Indian democracy: a stabilizing force, a reflection of the chaos or a circus (or all three)?

"In India, the choice would never be between chaos and stability, but between manageable and unmanageable chaos, between humane and inhumane anarchy, and between tolerable and intolerable disorder..."    ---Ashis Nandy, 20th century Indian political theorist

"Just consider how terrible the day of your death will be. Others will go on speaking, and you will not be able to argue back..."   --Ram Mohun Roy, 19th century Indian reformer 

              

Indian elections are in about 2-3 months, and passions run deep. Voter turnout is very high in India, and it has been since Independence. Indian politicians have strongly held views that run the gamut from communist to hard right, from inclusive to cast-based.

India seems to be in a continual argument with itself, and just about to come apart at the seams. Passionate politics, passionate views. We've been struck how often we witness vocal disagreements. Even in academic presentations, speakers are often interrupted and disagreed with, pointedly and aggressively.  This ain't China, that's for sure...

This place is kind of nuts. We need to let some things just kind of blow over us if we want to live connected yet still serene lives. That's not easy in India. There is a gentleness and even tenderness evident in so many small interactions, and there's a real focus on working towards common goals. Indeed, the Congress Party - the party of Jawaharial Nehru - has been in power on and off since Independence, and it has consistently focused on the commonalities that hold India together. But that is not the whole story in India. Nehru's daughter Indira was assassinated after her decision to attack the protestors in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and her son was assassinated in protest of his sending troops into Sri Lanka.  The long, long history of tensions and violence between religions, castes, languages, sexes, and classes is close to overwhelming.

Political differences are front and center in India, and the next election is always just around the corner, and mud fights continue unabated.  People think politicians are all crooks, and they are somewhat correct about that observation. Corruption is rampant and corrosive. Everyone has a strong opinion that they are only too willing to share about individual politicians as well as the people that they represent. There is more and more identity-based and caste-based politics -- as well as much more protest by those out of power.

       
"At the slightest excuse, political parties organize strikes, shutdowns, marches and fasts, seeking to have their way by threat and intimidation rather than by reason or arguement. The lawmakers in India are, more often than not, its most regular lawbreakers..."  ---Ramachandra Guha

The latest example is Arvind Kejriwal, the anti-corruption activist who was recently elected chief minister of Delhi. He lasted 49 days before he resigned in protest when his anti-corruption bill did not pass. During his brief tenure he lead a major demonstration which lasted 2 days, shutting down parts of the central government, disrupting the city metro system and in the end doing little to change the affairs of state.

Is India's democracy about to implode?

Every decade since Independence in the 1940's has been called the most dangerous for the Indian democracy, but somehow the democracy continues amid the chaos and differences. It continues, and it  frays but it holds. And then it seems to actually strengthen over time.  Not easy to understand.

American democracy also looks to be about to fall apart, but then it also seems to strengthen. That is one parallel between our two countries. But there are also differences.

One of the core elements of American culture is anchored in assimilation. America the melting pot; out of many, we become one.  If anything, an Indian core belief system seems to be that pluralism -- even with all the chaos and even some violence--contributes to India's core strength. After partition, states were often formed based in part on their separate cultures and their distinct language preferences. India right now is creating a new state -- Telangana -- that is being carved out Andhra Pradesh to provide greater identity for the local population that speaks Telagu.

Historically, outsiders have invaded or threatened invasion throughout much of India. By remaining as a separate states within India, their identities can be somewhat maintained safely.  Thus it appears that the people in the states that were divided by culture and language feel more connected to India, not less.  Dual identities -- one state and culture-based and the other national in nature - coexist and reinforce each other. Often times Delhites will tell you where they are from in India, assuming that that describes them in a way that being a Marylander or even a Texan does not.  With all its differences, India seems more cohesive than multi-cultural Europe -- even with all of India's passions and arguments and violence. We have yet to figure why this all is, but one Indian we know says that India's democratic legacy represents the true glue that brings together and binds the nation.

We love to promote our form of assimilationist democracy in America, but maybe we in America could learn a little something from the pluralist democratic culture of India. This place can be an absolute pluralist mess, with deep factions fighting fiercely, but out of the mess seems to come a greater cohesion and commitment to democracy -- and to the greater India.

Campaign posters are EVERYWHERE for every party. Note the Communist poster above; the Communist Party has been in power in Kerala about half the time in recent years. 

A campaign poster of Sonia Gandhi, the current Congress Party leader, with the heir apparent, her son Rahul.  It looks like the Congress Party is going to get blown away in the spring elections, but if past is prologue, the Congress Party and the Nehru/Gandhi clan will likely come back to power again some time in the future.

Rahul Gandhi is not inspiring a lot of confidence with the public. We recently went to see a stand-up comedian who urged the audience not to have children, because they never live up to your expectations. In a criticism aimed clearly more at the political situation than at prospective parents, she said:  "...I know you think your kids will turn out to be wonderful. You all expect a Mahatma Gandhi, but you will probably end up with a Rahul Gandhi!".

Narendra Modi, head of the BJP party and currently governor of Gujarat, considered the leading candidate for the next prime minister. He was campaigning in Kerala while we were there. Wild crowds of supporters.

Modi billboards, including lots of prominent and visible support from Muslims, Sikhs, women Dalits, etc.
Modi trying hard to be Mr. Inclusive! 

Modi has his own skeletons. The Gujarat massacres in 2002, televised worldwide, resulted in a coulpe thousand deaths, primarily Muslims as well as widespread rapes and violence. The center of the violence was spurred by Modi's base, the Hindu right, and Gujarat state officials were also accused of complicity in the violence. The BJP and Modi have struggled with this in the current elections. No one's hands are clean in Indian politics. It will be fascinating to see if Modi can transition from a factional leader with ties to the Hundu right to a bridge-builder across the Indian cultural divides; if he's successful in this, he will almost definitely be elected the next prime minister. 

----- We have said some of this in an earlier post, but it's probably worth repeating here:  Over the main entrance of old British "Central Secretariat"-- carved by the Brits in stone -- are the words: "LIBERTY WILL NOT DESCEND TO A PEOPLE. A PEOPLE MUST RAISE THEMSELVES TO LIBERTY. IT IS A BLESSING THAT MUST BE EARNED BEFORE IT CAN BE ENJOYED."  India certainly paid real dues for liberty, and has earned its place as the world's largest and most diverse democracy.  Obama said in his State of the Union this year that "Democracy never comes easy." It certainly isn't easy here. It is a madhouse. But the British words in stone actually seem very fitting here -- after a hard won Independence and the continual fight over the decades to remain a vibrant and cohesive democracy for more than a billion people. Hats off to India.

"In India, the choice would never be between chaos and stability, but between manageable and unmanageable chaos, between humane and inhumane anarchy, and between tolerable and intolerable disorder..."    ---Ashis Nandy, 20th century Indian political theorist

"Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out in the 19th century, democracies always look weaker than they really are: they are all confusion on the surface but have lots of hidden strengths."  --The Economist, 2014