Ours in a young country and our constitution has had the benefit of being able to draw from the most positive aspects of other democracies. Our constituent assembly drafted the Indian constitution drawing inspiration from the best features of several other constitutions such as the American, French, British, Irish, Canadian and many others. As such the Indian constitution is considered to be among the best and most exemplary in the world. The Indian constitution gives us invaluable rights and liberties that we much cherish and guard by respecting its symbols as well as its people:
We the people decide who will govern us… govern not rule. In a significant departure from the monarchies and colonial rule that preceded it, our democracy makes us the Indian people sovereign. As such we have to view ourselves as consumers and our elected representatives as our service providers not our rulers. We have to question them, hold them accountable, make them answerable - to us.
Equality of all citizens is the bedrock of our democracy. It is important for each of us to remember that political power, gender, sexual orientation, affluence, caste or religion cannot divest any of us of the rights that our constitution gives us.
Though every Indian citizen is supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law, we are still a deeply unequal society – economically and socially. To redress the imbalance that centuries of discrimination and exploitation have caused, it is necessary to give some sections of society extra concessions for upliftment and to bring about proportionate representation in our institutions.
Though it is fashionable to look down upon secularism and jeeringly refer to people as ‘sickular’ these days, a major factor that differentiates India from Pakistan is our secularism. It is our avowed belief that all religions are equal and that each citizen has the freedom to practice the religion of their choice that sets us apart from the religious hegemony and theocratic compulsions that plague and hamper the progress of our closest neighbour.
‘Liberal’ is another word twisted to mean something other than it is; liberals are typically sneered at using ‘libtard’, ‘librandu’ and a host of other pejorative terms. However, the liberal ideology simply represents open-minded values we all hold dear: individual liberty of expression, freedom of the press, right to privacy without state interference, political freedom, right to freedom of association and more. Liberal thought emerged out of the movement against antiquated concepts such as hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings. So if today, vested political interests are working against liberalism, they are simply working to deprive all of us of some of our most cherished ideals.
There is a separation of power between the centre and the states and states have the freedom to enact certain laws and formulate policies. At the centre as well as the state level, various ministries discharge respective duties. This structure of governance meant to prevent the concentration of power in a few hands. It is meant to involve more points of view in the decision-making process and to protect against autocracy and authoritarianism.
The independent functioning of the judiciary and the autonomy of other institutions such as the police, the CBI, the Election Commission, even an independent press is vital for a democracy. It is always a warning sign for citizens when governments try to interfere in the working of institutions or try to weaken their integrity or autonomy. This is one way to quash dissent. These charges have been leveled against the current government; last seen during the Indira Gandhi imposed emergency of the 1970s.
Today as we celebrate our 70th Republic Day there is much that we have to be proud of and thankful for. There is also much that we have to guard against: the erosion of our liberties, the quashing of dissent, the marginalisation of society's less empowered sections. Watch John Oliver’s funny but alarming critique against authoritarianism… meanwhile Jai Hind and Happy Republic Day!
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