New Delhi: The fifth annual democracy report by Sweden’s V-Dem Institute, titled ‘Autocratisation goes viral’, has downgraded India from “the world’s largest democracy” to an “electoral autocracy”, citing “muzzling” of the media, and overuse of defamation and sedition laws.
V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) claims to produce the largest dataset on democracy with almost 30 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2020.
This report comes within a week of US watchdog Freedom House downgrading India’s status to “partly free” in its ‘Freedom in the World’ report.
While India’s score was at an all-time high at 0.57 (on a scale of 0-1) in 2013, it had declined to 0.34 by the end of 2020 — a loss of 23 percentage points in seven years. “Most of the decline occurred following BJP’s victory in 2014 and their Hindu nationalist agenda,” says the report.
“India is, in this aspect (censorship) now as autocratic as is Pakistan, and worse than both its neighbors Bangladesh and Nepal. In general, the Modi-led government in India has used laws on sedition, defamation, and counterterrorism to silence critics. For example, over 7,000 people have been charged with sedition after the BJP assumed power and most of the accused are critics of the ruling party,” says the report.
It adds that the use of defamation “frequently used to silence journalists” and the use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) have placed constraints on civil society and gone against the Constitution’s commitment to secularism.
“Amended in August 2019 (it) is being used to harass, intimidate, and imprison political opponents, as well as people mobilizing to protest government policies. The UAPA has been used also to silence dissent in academia. Universities and authorities have also punished students and activists in universities engaging in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).”
The report notes that civil society is being increasingly muzzled while organisations aligned with the “Hindutva movement” have gained freedom. “The BJP have increasingly used the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) to restrict the entry, exit and functioning of Civil Society Organisations (CSO),” it says.
Also Read: Why India has slipped to ‘partly free’ category on freedom index & how countries are scored
Democracy on the decline
The fifth annual report by the organisation summarises the state of democracies of the world against the backdrop of developments that have taken place over the past decade.
The report finds that liberal democracies have diminished over the past decade from 41 countries to 32 countries.
“The global decline during the past 10 years is steep and continues in 2020, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen in 2020 is down to levels last found around 1990,” says the report.
It adds that what it calls “electoral autocracies” remain the most popular regime type, and along with closed autocracies, number 87 states, home to 68 per cent of the world’s population.
It also notes an accelerating wave of autocratisation engulfing 25 nations, home to one-third of the world’s population — that is 2.6 billion people. “Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, Turkey, and the United States of America are part of this drift,” says the report.
It also notes that the number of democratising countries has dropped by almost half to 16, hosting a mere 4 per cent of the global population.
Also Read: ‘Misleading, incorrect’ — govt issues point-by-point rebuttal to ‘partly free’ tag for India
People are julos of India’s progress under Modi’s leadership
People like you are responsible for this.l, who blindly trust most illiterate govt
Excellent repartee to Dr S.M.Shetty a man who has clearly parked his erudition and education and allows himself to become a clone of the Tejaswi Suryas and Pragya Thakurs of India.
FREEDOM TO EAT WHAT I WANT – AND NOT BE LYNCHED FOR WHAT I EAT
Perhaps we could measure one simple freedom in India – my freedom to eat what I like to eat. Do Indians have that freedom?
Turns out, even that elementary freedom does not exist for Indians, not only in India but also OUTSIDE the country. Yes, Hindutva thugs have started their moral policing even outside the country. And institutions such as the BCCI have joined in as well.
The food consumed by Indians is a function of religion, region, caste and often economic class as well. Thus you have Hindus in Kerala, Goa, Bengal etc. consuming beef. Lower castes, Muslims, Christians and Dalits also consume beef. Many people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder prefer to buy beef which is cheaper than mutton or other meat types. Today, under the BJP, beef consumption is a health hazard. Even the mere rumour that you have consumed beef could result in goons sweating allegiance to Modi & Adityanath turning up at your home and you run the risk of getting lynched. The many tragic cases of lynching of Muslims across BJP ruled North Indian states are a blot on the image of the nation.
But the BJP has taken it a notch higher. Now, Indians are not supposed to eat beef even outside India! At the India Food Fest in Frankfurt in 2019, the Kerala pavilion served beef dishes and soon they were attacked by the usual North Indian Hindutva goons. German police had to intervene and inform the Hindutva Neanderthals that consumption of beef was perfectly legal in Germany.
In the same vein, the BCCI instructed the Australian cricket authorities that Indian players in Australia must not be served beef ! Thus, even if you are an Indian cricketer and a beef lover, the BCCI will not have you eat beef! Hindutva’s writ runs outside India as well. Maybe selectors should ensure that cricketers who eat beef are not selected to represent India!
Incredible India indeed !
After independence India was run by British educated elite like Nehru etc.. The bureaucracy consisted of British educated elite.
Not their fault they didn’t know any better by an large. Then we had a few patriots like Lokmanya Tilak etc.. However their influence on us was minimal. Having been ruledby the British for 2 centuries it is difficult to take out the British influence of ( Sahibs).
However to get out of this trap needs fairly drastic measures. Some of thes measures may border on ‘Draconion’. Nonetheless I feel India, because of it’s diversity in all spheres of life,will not succumb to dictatorial rule.This is the good news. The bad news is that to achieve true freedom it will come at the expense of many elitist people.
To weed out ingrained corruption will be painful for those involved in corruption. I feel Modi annd his Govt. will face various accusations but the final outcome will be beneficial for all. We are great country with a tremendous history and enormous talent. Perhaps we need to be patient. ‘As they say “Rome wasn’t built in a day’
Anon: You claim:
“.. To weed out ingrained corruption will be painful for those involved in corruption. I feel Modi annd his Govt. will face various accusations but the final outcome will be beneficial for all .. ”
But is the Modi government any less corrupt than previous governments? Today, Modi is becoming a Putin like figure and like Putin, one sees a vicious form of gangster capitalism taking root in the country. Gautam Adani was given the right to run Bombay International Airport in an opaque allocation procedure; Anil Ambani was given the maintenance contract for Rafale even though he has zero experience in the aerospace industry; cases are dropped against corrupt politicians like Yeddyurappa merely because he is in the BJP; demonetisation was done in a manner that allowed people close to the BJP to escape and so on.
And then you have the massive loss of democratic freedoms and a rapid drift towards authoritarianism. The press has largely become muzzled; journalists who speak against the government are thrown into jail and charged with sedition; Muslims get lynched; comedians get arrested even before they say anything and so on. The world outside knows now for a fact that India is no more a democratic state and that will influence FDI flows. And then there is the economy that was in doldrums long before the BJP took over – thanks to spectacular mismanagement by the PM with his crazy schemes like demonetisation.
You say that the final outcome will be “beneficial for all”. Well, most of the benefits now go to the PM Gujarati crony capitalists. And you are naïve if you refuse to read the writing on the wall.
i worry that one day they might declare that millitary coup has taken place in india…
Hans’t a putsch already taken place without the military involved ? After all, we now have a 1 man show don’t we?
Mr Samyak Jain: I wonder if you are singing praises to the ruling BJP will necessarily translate into a better status for the Jain community. I refer to your servile statement:
“.. I want to tell that I am not a Hindu but a Jain and my religion is different but I don’t have any problems with BJP being the ruling party ..”
Pleased to note that as a member of the Jain minority, you are still doing OK in Modistan – at least for now. But do remember what Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena told Jains in 2015 during the Paryushan festival. I cite from the Shiv Sena publication Saamanaa of September 2015 which threateningly asked the Jain community:
“.. ‘There’s Pakistan for Muslims, but where will Jains go?.. “
Yes in the Modistan of today, Muslims, Christians and Dalits are the targets of Hindutva violence. But that list is not set in stone as Sikhs could surely tell you. So don’t be so bloody cocksure that your turn to get scapegoated won’t come Jain saab.
As a Jain, you belong to one of the myriad majorities in India. Of course, the Hindutva ideologue might tell you today that Jainism is an indigeneous religion as opposed to Islam and Christianity. But I would caution you Sir – you are dealing with the ideology of Hindutva which posits that India is primarily for Hindus. And you would be tremendously naïve if you don’t believe that the Shiv Sena’s fight with the Jain community is a harbinger of things to come.
You might sing praises to India’s Führer and choose to ignore the persecution of various groups in the country such as journalists, Muslims, Christians, Dalits and so on. And perhaps even approve of it. But you need to remember the influential poem that German theologian Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) wrote in 1946:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Let us hope that the BJP does not follow the example of the Shiv Sena towards the Jain community. But then, when push comes to shove …
See the contradiction in the anger and outrage shown by bhakts !
India has slipped down in two recent indicators of democracy : the Freedom Index of a US think tank, and a Swedish think tank grading the democracies and autocracies. It cannot be a coincidence.
Both reports are not specific to India, they are a global overview. Hence, it is not correct, westerners are targeting India. As to raging about why Sweden should be making such a study, the answer is because it is qualified to do so, as it has high quality democracy and good governance. So it has an impact. China or Myanamar or Saudi will not undertake such a study because they are not qualified to do so !
The report says the space for democracy is shrinking and only 4% of the population of the world is lucky enough to live in such countries. The two most notable countries that have receded are India -and the US. One was billed as the world’s largest democracy and the other as the world’s oldest. Both are large countries, so going down is disappointing and dangerous. For liberals, that is a cause for mourning. China is not highlighted – because it can hardly go down, they were always near bottom in such rankings.
Modi and his bhakths do not believe in human rights and equality, as they feel such concepts stand in the way of progress and nationalism as they see it. They have no intention for India to strive to be in that 4% that is blessed with democracy and good governance. The bhakths prefer politicians who incite hatred against citizens, they like mobocracy, vigilante violence, fake news, religious one upmanship, and identity parades. Then why are they enraged ? They should welcome the ranking !
Indeed bhakths dearly want India to be a Hindu Pakistan. India has not reached Pakistani level yet, but it is on the way – the forces unleashed by the RSS cannot stop India becoming like Pakistan.
India under Modi has also sunk in per capita income below Bangladesh. What is there to rage about that ? That is the data. There is no conspiracy against India. It is the result of economic mismanagement. That is another story.
The economy is sunk, it has gone out of the BJP’s hands, so they will focus on what they know, that is Ram mandir etc. And as civil unrest grows, it will resort to what it does best : violence against selected Indians which will be passed of as necessary for security and nationalism. Which will bring down both democracy and economy further.
No point raging about the decline of democracy and the economy : you get what you voted for ! It is not the fault of Sweden or Bangladesh, and countries that are striving to improve, if India is doing the opposite and sinking in the eyes of the world. The bhakths can console themselves with an alternative universe where India is the vishwa guru !
However, this unnatural and illogical rage suggests that the bhakths know in their heart both the economy and India’s standing have gone down. But having sold their souls to violence and wickedness, they have nowhere to go to.
Mr Akash: Perspicacious post indeed !
You mention that India has slipped in the democracy rankings of Freedom House and Sweden’s V-Dem. In addition to these, there is also the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report “Democracy Index 2020: In sickness and in health?”. This report can be downloaded for free at: ref: bit.ly/30Fbwqa
The EIU report corroborates what the other reports say as well. Indeed, it tracks India’ slide over the period 2006-2020. India’s downward slide accelerated under the Modi government and it is now characterised as a “flawed democracy”. I cite from the EIU report:
“.. In India, democratic norms have been under pressure since 2015. India’s score fell from a peak of 7.92 in 2014 to 6.61 in 2020 and its global ranking slipped from 27th to 53rd as a result of democratic backsliding under the leadership of Narendra Modi, a member of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who became prime minister in 2014 and was re-elected for a second term in 2019. The increasing influence of religion under the Modi premiership, whose policies have fomented antiMuslim feeling and religious strife, has damaged the political fabric of the country. The enactment in December 2019 of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 continued to fuel riots in 2020, with several left dead following clashes in February in the capital city, New Delhi. The Act introduces a religious element to the conceptualisation of Indian citizenship, a step that many critics see as undermining the secular basis of the Indian state.
In August Mr Modi participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for a Hindu temple on the site of a 16thcentury mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The mosque was destroyed by a Hindu nationalist mob in 1992 and building a temple on the site has been a rallying cry for Hindu nationalist groups ever since, featuring in the BJP’s general election manifestos in 2014 and 2019. The temple’s construction will further endear Mr Modi to his Hindu nationalist base. On top of these issues, the authorities’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic has also led to a further erosion of civil liberties in 2020 ..”
It is indeed deeply worrying that in a span of 5 years, the Modi government’s policies have dragged India from a rank of 27 in 2015 to 53 in 2020. And the slide continues. And we have Ayothollah Adityanath waiting in the wings to take over from Modi.
As the Chinese writer and philosopher Lin Yutang (1895-1976) said:
“When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set”
Under Prophet Modi, the sunset of democracy is right around the corner.
Indeed, the sunset of democracy is around the corner and there are many clapping for the nightfall to come.
India is heading in the direction of Sri Lanka, maybe even Myanamar. India is an odd fit because it also has big power ambitions and believes it can be a China economy-wise. It is like a Sri Lankan mind in a Chinese size body.
LOL !
Pakistan, Turkey and Myanmar are the very successful demo-crazies in the world
I am proud to be a Modi fan if that is what you want to think . But he is elected by US , we, the people of India ,and that is what matters !
LOL !
Pakistan, Turkey and Myanmar are the very successful demo-crazies in the world
I am proud to be a Modi Bhakt if that is what you want to think . But he is elected by US , we, the people of India ,and that is what matters !
Well, if that’s what it takes to bring order, security, stability and economic progress to India, then so be it. Perhaps this is what India always needed. Congress just focused on all the wrong priorities – trying to live up to Western standards of democratic idealism to please think-tanks like these – while leaving millions of Indians trapped in poverty and patriarchy. If it takes an autocratic hand to move things forward, so be it. Future Indians will thank us for having the courage to do the unpleasant, unpopular, but necessary thing.
Given a choice between maintaining the corrupt and dysfunctional “liberal” democracy under Congress, and the “electoral autocracy” under Modi, then I think I know which one I’d put my money on.
Europeans say this kind of thing on one hand, and then rush to come do business with the other. This is the same Sweden which wants to set up a Gripen military aircraft factory in India, right last week right? Looks like ideals didn’t get in the way of their coming to do business with India, just like ideals didn’t get in the way of Europe signing a trade deal with China, despite all the talk about Uighurs.
We need to behave like a mature democracy. Mature adults can tolerate criticism. But here we are like angry and upset school children. Cannot Bhakts even laugh at themselves, they seem to get angry when news not in their favour.
We need to display calmness and responsible communication to bid for a permanent seat at the UN security council. So don’t screw up on image management.
Hang on Bhakts. Don’t shoot the wrong target in your eagerness to find a new enemy.
You may not like V-Dem report but don’t mistake them for Swedish public or their government.
Swain ka gaana
Band kar
The Print Ashok Swain ka chamcha ban gaya ? ? ?
Sweden and other Nordis nations like to see themselves as holier-than-thou by showing-up their “democratic” and human rights credentials, yet a look at their government’s history of bigotry and abuse in the marginalization, denigration and discrimination against their own minority indigenous peoples, the Samis, would put anyone to shame.
I have studied the report and I am amazed by the scientific methodology and general excellence. The bhakths are reacting as if someone is singling out India. That is not the case. It is an analysis of democratising and de-democratising trends worldwide.
Here is a copy of the key points taken from the report :
MAJOR AUTOCRATIZERS
• Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, and Turkey are among the top 10 decliners.
• Poland takes a dubious first place and three new nations join this group: Benin, Bolivia, and Mauritius.
• Six of the top-10 decliners became autocracies (My added comment : India is in the six)
HOW AUTOCRATIZATION UNFOLDS
• Autocratization typically follows a similar pattern. Ruling governments first attack the media and civil society, and polarize
societies by disrespecting opponents and spreading false information, only to then undermine formal institutions. (My added comment : that is exactly what we have seen in India; but this is the trend in all the autocratising countries. We are at the stage of undermining institutions)
RAYS OF HOPE: TOP-10 ADVANCERS
• Democratization is still occurring but small countries dominate this trend.
• Four countries among the top-10 advancers turned into new democracies during the last 10 years.
• Tunisia and Armenia are the two best performers and South Korea and Ecuador are resurging after a period of decline
Four countries among the top 10 advancers turned into new democracies during the last 10 years.
My comment :
The democratising of countries moving in a positive direction, are the following top 10 (the data is for 2020). Tunisia is the leader. There is a point based system, some countries have gone from autocracy to lower end of electoral democracy. Others like Myanamar have gone from very closed autocracy to electoral autocracy (although in absolute terms they are low end, they have moved in the right direction.
1 Tunisia Electoral Autocracy to Electoral Democracy
2 Armenia Electoral Autocracy to Electoral Autocracy
3 The Gambia Electoral Autocracy to Electoral Democracy
4 Myanmar Closed Autocracy to Electoral Autocracy
5 Niger Closed Autocracy to Electoral Democracy
6 Madagascar Closed Autocracy to Electoral Autocracy
7 Ecuador Electoral Democracy to Electoral Democracy
8 Fiji Closed Autocracy to Electoral Autocracy
9 Georgia Electoral Democracy to Electoral Democracy
10 Sri Lanka Electoral Autocracy to Electoral Democracy
India of course has moved in the other direction from : low end of electoral democracy to upper end of electoral autocracy (although I think the ranking should be lower when Article 370 and other factors are included). The US has also declined due to the legacy of Trumpism.
I strongly condemn for such ill-conceived report.
Sweden can think what they have done for the world and what India is currently doing… Serving Covid19 affected countries by free vaccination, supporting neighbours with money in this degraded situation and also by investing in their mega projects
Mr Rakesh Kundu Kundu: Worth bearing in mind that no Swedish PM has been involved in orchestrating a pogrom …
Wondering what would be our media reaction if tomorrow Imran Khan funds a study & that team declares India as a “bad country”? Would they give a news headline as “India is a bad country”: ThinkTank? Shouldn’t we evaluate their background & competence to assess us before we even repeat their words, giving them more impressions & circulation? When we have many dishonest media inside the country, do we need an external bunch of researchers to bring us down? Fail to understand what is their clamor for support from a foreign source? Do they feel very legitimate only upon endorsement from the white skins? Has our media really not come out of colonial hangover? Oxbridge is still the best & the most revered?
The study is not about India. It maps the whole world. In absolute terms Pakistan is way down, and it has made no moves to improve. In India’s case, it was in the highest democratic ranks (even if at the low end), and it has moved down into higher end of the electoral autocracy band – due to you know who. That means elections are held apparently, but EVMs may be rigged, Election Commission is not independent, judiciary and police are filled with RSS cadres, discrimination against citizens is practised, media is curbed, people with criminal offences get elected, women are attacked etc.
The decline was bound to happen as the top man came to power by a pogrom. And it will go down further.
Great post Tog !
You are indeed being prescient when you write:
“.. The decline was bound to happen as the top man came to power by a pogrom. And it will go down further ..”
Sadly, democracy being what it is, pogroms make cunning, callous politicians like Modi popular. The horrible genocide of more than 8000 Muslim Bosnian men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995 made Serb leaders like Slobodan Milosovic, Radocan Karadzic and Radko Mladic immensely popular in Serbia; Rajiv Gandhi came to power after the Sikh pogroms, Adolf Hitler’s attacks on Jews in the 1930s made him a hero; the Burmese Army’s attacks on the Rohingya minority has broad-based approval in Burma and after the Godhra pogroms of 2002, Modi won a thumping majority in the state elections 6 months later.
Sadly, as long as existing prejudices can be harnessed to spew violence and bloodshed, politicians will do precisely that. Modi seems to have understood that flaw in the human character better than most other Indian politicians. And one must not forget that Modi is a product of the RSS, an organisation modelled on the Nazi and Fascist movements of Europe of the 1930s. And now, when you have the BJP constructing internment camps for Muslims in Assam and Amit Shah asserting that termites i.e. Muslims will be thrown into the Bay of Bengal, I can indeed see parallels to Nazi Germany’s concentration camps.
I do not know how democracy can be demagogue-proofed. A racist, misogynistic, draft dodging charlatan called Donald Trump was able nearly subvert US democracy and still has a vicious grip on millions of Americans. Many Americans actually want to do away with democracy so that this white supremacist bastard could assume power. Things are no different in India. Whilst democracy might have survived this time in the US, it is far more rickety in India and will certainly not survive a concerted Modi putsch. And he knows damn well that another pogrom will make him more popular.
As the French writer Voltaire (1694-1778) said:
“.. Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities ..”
PS: Please do write more often Mr Tog. A pleasure reading your posts and the posts of Mr Akash.
I am glad to have you Kili. For one rational mind is greater than a mob. You cite Voltaire who did not go along with the mob. We have seen all this before with Nazi Germany. Nehru in fact saw this coming. He had the foreboding.
The greatest danger to democracy is anti-democrats coming to power through democracy. It happened in Nazi Germany. You see rumblings of neo Nazis in Europe. And it was a close call in the US.
The intolerant can take to violence to get their way; the tolerant cannot do that. The philosopher Karl Popper wrote that there comes a stage when the tolerance of the tolerant towards the intolerant has to cease, for one’s survival.
In another land, the
Mr/Ms KS: When you pontificated:
“.. When we have many dishonest media inside the country ..”
were you referring to the likes of Arnab Goswami ?
Pm Modi is a very good person and has helped India in achieving a lot of success. Whereas when Congress was there they always promoted terrorism indirectly and due to this India was way behind other countries in development. And anyone who is saying that India is not a democratic country is not knowing enough about the politics. Because in India people elect the government and we all are extremely happy as PM Modi is a good leader. Also I want to tell that I am not a Hindu but a Jain and my religion is different but I don’t have any problems with BJP being the ruling party.
You really need a good education and friend group.
Looks like you are inspired by a 7th Class Political Science book.
Enough of these foreign institutions making joke of the democracy of India. They are humiliating the public of India. Who gives them the right and authority? Many western countries have severe situations of racial discrimination but have never heard of any huecand cry.
If you have never heard of racial discrimination in those countries, how are you writing here? LMAO
It’s not true. India is the oldest democracy starting from the era of God Budha, and rest the world is followed us in some way. India is automatic for those who shops have been closed due to honest regime of Mr. Modi. Now the middle man culture is no more in India due to this government so the Colonia followers feel there is no more democracy in India. But this the concrete form of democracy.
Congratulations to Modi bhakths. It was their earnest desire that India should be equal to Pakistan, so they must be feeling proud.
Really gonna trust Swedes? Their own country is overflowing with goat fucking muslims and rapists, I rather have hindus in control than sub humans
https://thefauxy.com/modi-govt-cancels-all-the-upcoming-and-future-elections-after-some-v-dem-institute-declares-india-not-democratic-country/
Mr Raja: Well said !
But if Modi’s alma mater the RSS would have its way, Pakistan and Bangladesh would be absorbed into one giant country called Akhand Bharath. Although it puzzles me as to how this Akhand Bharath concept will work with the existing hatred of Muslims in India – after all, that would mean that there would be more Muslims in the country… But who knows, the Gujarati Führer may have a solution to that too.
We don’t need democracy certificate from western countries like USA and Sweden ,India is much more mature democracy,If someone will work against country unity then the state has Right to curb them, everyone knows how these how prejudice these Western Nations they are jealous about India’s growth in tackling covid crisis by providing vaccines to world..
Ah yes, the world is jealous of the vishw guru, where the economy is gone and the democratic rights are crumbling !
Even Mynamar has gone in the positive direction (still below India but some steps to improve).
It takes Modi to go from a good position with the economy and democracy and ruin both.
Mr Manish Kumar: Were you really serious when you brayed:
“.. Western Nations they are jealous about India’s growth in tackling covid crisis by providing vaccines to world ..”
Fact is, nobody believes the statistics that come out of India – be it GDP figures, Covid mortality stats, the outcome of clashes with China & Pakistan and so on. A slew of foolish economic policies, crony capitalism, religious strife and so on have scared investors away.
Go stand outside the embassies of most Western countries and you will find hundreds of Indians waiting to do a Quit India. Indeed, Indians, like Pakistanis are the groups that do their best to get rid of their citizenships as quickly as possible !
So tone down your jingoism.
Democracy has ill effects, if people misuse it. Many organisations have done illegal things under the garb of democracy. if countering these illegal things is autocracy. do it be.
richardjerome6403@gmail.com: So who gets to decide that people are misuing their democratic freedoms ? The ruling party that gets critcised?
You go on to bray:
” .. if countering these illegal things is autocracy. do it be ..”
That was exactly what Indira Gandhi said when she declared Emergencey in 1975 . And the Indian middle classes, supported her descent into autocracy. Until many of their own members started to disappear or get sterilised.
Clearly, fascists like you want that era back.
It seems you do not have the guts to publish my yesterday’s comments on this exposing the truth.
Better to ignore them, if govt is actively able to track anti-national people these so called foreign intellectuals get worried, why are they silent about China ?
They are not silent about China. China is way down below India. The report is about positive and negative movements in democratisation, and not just about the absolute ranking. India has gone in the autocratisation direction, from a better position of lower end elected democracy to the high end of elected autocracy. China is way below, and there is no upward or downward movement. The US has gone down. India will go down further as that is that is how the RSS-BJP consolidates power and works.
My reaction after reading this…..hahahahhahahahaha….
Very true Arjun Yadav
Idiots , stupid buggers and dam bloody fools. Simply talking christian nonsensr bloody antinational rascsls. Authir deserves to be sent for life into a lunatuc asyum. Pathetic fools
India is better than ever.India is not only democratic internally but has proven to care and act for the people globally .These rating bodies can down grade India as much as they want,it doesn’t matter.India has shown it by supplying vaccines to others &
as some one has rightly said- “actions speaks louder than words” .
Supplying vaccines is irrelevant to whether our country and people have democratic rights. China and Russia have also supplied even more vaccines, and they are way below India in democratic credentials, and there is no positive movement in their cases.
The reasons for India’s decline are given in the report. It is not targeting India as such. Even the US has gone down.
• Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, and Turkey are among the top 10 decliners. Poland takes a dubious first place, and three new nations join the group: Benin, Bolivia, and Mauritius. Six of the top decliners became
autocracies.
• Autocratization typically follows a similar pattern across very different contexts. Ruling governments first attack the media and civil society, and polarize societies by disrespecting opponents and spreading false information, then undermine elections.
China has done that too …
India will be full democracy if it become subservient to west.
Who the hell r they to tell us whether we r living in democratic India or not as a citizen we can say ueah it is fully democratic we have right to criticise govt. Fpr their wrong policies..hpw they can say this only one thing which changed India ne kabhi khud ke liye stand nahi liya always depends on the western countries but now things has been changed no one wants sour relations with our country this is power of a leader & u know who..Day by day India is becoming a powerful nation
Well it’s an institute you guys are projecting as Sweden is doing it 😀 nonsense article wasted my time. I will neve read your articles in future. Blocking your content from Google new and google cards.
Every dog has its day of good and bad, in power are the good days and out of power are bad, that is when all shit falls down back, it’s the same in all countries. We learn from our mistakes, until then just wait and watch with calm.. EAT GOOD DAY & WAIT FOR GOOD DAYS.
This article is totally biased & baseless. India need to be little bit autocratic for it’s healthy existence. Can this so called Swedish human rights champion find a single country around the world where minority religious communities get so large concessions and facilities like in India and they eat lion share of government exchequer. This article is a part of huge conspiracy against India.
Why we Indian should worry about what Europe or American says ? It is a propaganda by the Western world to subvert India’s progressive trends. Our media should be careful highlighting such malicious reports or giving any importance.
India Democracy which has always been vibrant has had only one Autocratic Period I.e under Congress Regime 1975.
I think that was also a wise decision by the then PM Indira Gandhi- as only emergency produced strong opposition leaders in India.
Rest comparison of Indian Democracy with a rogue Nation like Pakistan is completely unrealistic. India is a humanistic orientated nation & Pakistan is a terrorist oriented Nation.
Lol. A Country which is not even 1/ 20 th of India is giving test report card!!!! And the print makes it headlines:) 🙂
Don’t care about SWEDEN much. They themselves can’t manage their country with all the riots and dare they comment on India. Don’t give a …. about what Sweden thinks.
This website – The Print owned by Shekhar Gupta – pappu’s puppet, with a personal vendetta against BJP – is lecturing about democracy, taking cues from a spineless country of 1 cr population only, which burnt itself at the hands of Pakistani immigrants.
Joke of the day !
Recently swiss people voted against burkha
Why it consider itself as a democracy
Where minorities does not even have a right to dress as per rheir wish
And try to comment on others
Hindutva supremacy had evolved only because of wrong doings of others in India..so now the west has an issue because of this… ? Keep crying folks ?
This is very immature article beleivb outsiders than insiders only for the sake of political self satisfaction.and there is no doubt theprint supports such things recklessly.