An informed debate on democracy is always replete with competing narratives, conflicting arguments and divergent views. Democracy’s credibility lies not only in the discourses on electoral politics but in the culture of constant engagement, dialogue, negotiations and inclusive representation of all stakeholders. But, many a time, we tend to lose sight of this reality in our innate predilection towards electoral analysis. Professor Jha’s essays on India’s democracy are a reminder about this indispensable aspect of democratic life. As the book notes, democracy is ‘about remaining interested in politics between elections’. As a ‘participant of everyday democracy’, Jha pens down all the key aspects and debates that marked India’s democratic landscape in the last one decade.
The book is relevant due to three key factors. First, Jha’s reflections on all the major political, socio-cultural and governance issues that have shaped Indian democracy since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, are a comprehensive critique of governmental conduct as well as the political discourse. It provides an entry to the much-needed perspective from the Opposition on all the significant political developments in the contemporary period. As voices from the political Opposition and dissenting groups provide a platform for open public deliberation and governmental accountability, these conversations are an imperative for a healthy democratic discourse.
Second, his insights in these essays provide a rich repository for anyone who wants to understand the key contentious issues that have dominated India’s national politics in recent years. Third, the issues addressed in the book range widely from the COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare, Kashmir policy, debate on caste census and affirmative action, minority welfare, the federal dynamics, manual scavenging to the debate on nationalism. This review would try to capture the crucial arguments regarding the broader democratic discourse highlighted by the essays in the book.
Jha argues that it is an exaggerated and unfounded claim that coalition governments are inherently unstable. Rather, he emphasizes that the ‘pressure of coalition enforces accountability on the government’. He observes that it is during the coalition eras in India’s national politics that most transformative and progressive policies were brought in. He further opines that ‘stability, more often than not, is a license to maintain the status quo which always preserves and perpetuates entrenched hierarchies. Genuine coalitions challenge the status quo. Built on conditions such as common minimum programme or collaborative policy frameworks, coalitions are essential for governance, especially in a country like India which rests on a foundation of multiplicity and accommodation.’ He interestingly calls India a ’civilizational coalition’. He traces the historical trajectory of coalition building which has always been essential to govern and navigate a vast and diverse society like India. He observes that ‘our civilizational ethos of negotiation, accommodation and natural effortless fusion has persisted for centuries.’ Be it the era of monarchical and oligarchical rule, to organizing the freedom struggle against the British colonizers, to writing the Indian Constitution to finally running the country in the post-Independence period, the art of coalition building to reconcile divergent interests and finding consensus for larger unity of purpose has been the modus operandi of Indian life. He further notes that in the history of Indian politics, the ability of the political actors and stakeholders ‘to mediate between diverse interests exemplified the essence of coalition politics. Coalitions go beyond managing electoral arithmetic to focusing on governance in diverse polity based on negotiation.’ He emphasizes on the ‘spirit of coalition-building’ that is essential to accommodate the divergent, many a times dissenting, voices from the Opposition, in order to ensure a truly responsive, inclusive and accountable governance model, regardless of whether a single party or a group of parties together hold a majority in Parliament. He further notes that ‘enduring alliances are made not only on shared electoral interests but on steadfast commitment to principles that resonate with the people.’ He argues and reminds the readers that ‘politics as a collective’ is the centre of Indian political life.
The book provides a critical analysis of India’s evolving political dynamics built on strong theoretical and conceptual frameworks. For instance, while discussing the role of the public sphere and the importance of open, informed and candid conversations in maintaining the vibrancy of democratic political life, Habermas’s ‘structured transformation of the public sphere’ and Chomsky’s concern about ‘apathy induced by excessive consumerism’, have been aptly invoked. The author raises scholarly as well as practical apprehensions regarding the threat of ‘re-feudalization of the public sphere and manufactured consent through new age consumerism, media imperialism, monopoly capitalism’. The novelty of the book lies in its sincere attempt to prescribe an alternative path of democratic salvation. The thoughtful invocation of Habermas’s constitutional patriotism—a form of civic nationalism premised on plural, liberal and democratic values, is one such notable example. Though Jha does not provide answers (nor is it feasible) for all the challenges of India’s democratic life, he highlights what the first principles of democracy ought to be. He reinforces that ‘democracy is an agreement between the people and the state. The government stands the risk of losing legitimacy by not being responsive to the needs and voices of the people. No public good is ever a commodity purchased and owned by the state. The greater good of the society, its prosperity and happiness are co-produced by communities. Parliament is a platform to address people’s anxieties and insecurities. It should be our quest for a substantive version of democracy whose ultimate test lies in its ability to realise the dream of an egalitarian and just society.’
Citizens and stakeholders in a diverse democracy like India might be divided on their divergent and variegated aspirations, demands and conceptions of representative democracy. Such differences make democratic life vibrant, robust and dynamic as the book has repeatedly reminded us. However, in the regular humdrum affairs and cacophony of everyday political exigencies, it is imperative for us to not lose sight of the foundational principles of a democracy which Jha has succinctly articulated in this book.
Ambar Kumar Ghosh is a Political Scientist and a non-resident Fellow, Young Researchers’ Network, European Partnership for Democracy, Brussels.