New Delhi: An academic, a bureaucrat, and a politician walk into a bar — they talk for an hour, agree that democracy needs to be strengthened, but disagree on how.
This was how the recent launch of Radha Kumar’s new book, The Republic Relearnt: Renewing Indian Democracy (1947-2024), went at New Delhi’s India International Center. Kumar was in conversation with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and former foreign secretary Shyam Saran moderated the discussion.
The Republic Relearnt contains Kumar’s insights from years of witnessing important political development; a sweeping review of India’s political and constitutional history. Kumar, a specialist in ethnic conflict and peace processes, talks about the trajectory of Indian democracy in her book – as well as what she calls India’s three waves of democracy renewal.
It was an apt discussion for an audience that has witnessed the republic’s learning. Attendees included former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, politician and author Mani Shankar Aiyar, and retired Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur. The room was so packed that more chairs had to be brought out; the remaining audience members either sat on the floor or lined the walls.
The panel’s insights into Indian politics very much reflected their professional stances: Kumar raised questions on what lawmakers and politicians should do, Tharoor pointed out how politicians’ hands (especially in the Opposition) are tied, and Saran — though only moderating — played mediator.
The evening was punctuated by Parliament proceedings that day: Rahul Gandhi had just given his maiden speech as the Leader of the Opposition. The audience’s chatter around how good his speech was and how the Opposition was taking revenge for 10 years of suppression only heightened interest in the panel’s views on the current state of Indian democracy.
“Practical solutions are something no party in our country has worked on,” said Kumar as the session wrapped up. “If you’re looking for a sign for democratic renewal, what happened this evening in this hall is a good sign.”
No solutions for a fourth-wave
Radha Kumar started writing the book about a year and a half ago. The Bharat Jodo Yatra was in motion, and she saw civil society coming together for the first time in a long time. But then, she said she felt she was prematurely optimistic.
Kumar ended her book with the hope that she would see a fourth wave of renewal for democracy — but the state use of investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation has left a lot of questions unanswered. One of the main themes of the evening was the anxiety around state misuse of agencies and its overreach.
Shyam Saran summed it all up: what both Kumar and Tharoor were pointing to was a perennial issue. Are institutions more important than the people running them?
“I’m afraid in any society, in any democracy, all institutions can be misused,” said Shashi Tharoor. “The question is whether we have checks and balances to thwart it.”
Kumar highlighted the existing constitutional infrastructure for legislative change — especially when it comes to stringent laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“You don’t have to change the wheel. You just have to set the wheel in motion,” she said. “The fourth wave of democracy should be about how the republic should be strong enough to defend itself the next time it’s under attack.”
During the round of questions, one audience member inquired of the panel whether Indian democracy had come of age, or if the country was still a democratic debutante.
“This is certainly a democracy very much in the making — with very many reversals that require remedy,” answered Kumar.
Tharoor cited a Pew report, which said that 85 per cent of Indians prefer authoritarianism to democracy.
“The question is whether democracy has sunk deep enough routes into the consciousness of the public,” he responded. “It’s a rude shock to those who think democracy is self-evident virtue.”
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Preaching to the choir
The talk also kindled a fledgling hope: that civil society today isemboldened enough to actively participate in the political process.
Tharoor, in particular, cited his experience with the youth looking to join his office.
But Mani Shankar Aiyar, in the audience, raised an important point — that for one young person wanting to work with a politician like Tharoor, a hundred young people are joining the RSS.
“I’m not sure those attracted to Shashi will have more impact than the tens more attracted to Amit Shah,” said Aiyar.
The observation was a sword in the air for a brief moment, before the panel moved on to more constitutional questions.
“Maybe people cannot be trusted with democracy,” said Saran with a smile.
Kumar was of the opinion that all is not yet lost, especially if regular people have more of a say. She gave the example of how the Bar Council of Delhi was trying to initiate a dialogue with the home ministry to highlight the legal fraternity’s concern over the new criminal laws.
“The more professional associations get involved to try and push for democratic norms and standards, the better will be our prospects for a fourth wave,” said Kumar. “I also have huge hopes for Parliament now.”
It’s a hope that both Tharoor and Kumar shared. While admitting that democratic elements like the judiciary and civil society can be strengthened, Tharoor said that he believes democracy is in good hands as long as India’s new youth continue to be involved.
“They said that the revolution will not be televised,” said an audience member right outside the hall once the event was over. “In the same way, the revolution will not start in an IIC lecture hall.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
Tharoor talking about democracy is a bit rich especially since he belongs to a family owned party that itself doesn’t have any internal democracy. As for the other two, possibly for them democracy exists only if a single family rules India.