Elections are in progress in India, portrayed as “the world’s largest democracy” by the West. Western notion of democracy (Westminster model) is that it is government of the people (masses, not classes), for the people and by the people.
India has signed an agreement with the USA to become ‘great’. Now, it could hobnob with members of the nuclear club as an equal. What constitutes “greatness”? The Indian democracy exists in name only, not in substance.
Advantages in military power, economic output, share in world trade, size of population, membership of the United Nation’s Security Council, or what? Till 1997, India’s policy was that nuclear weapons were evil. In 1998, India shelved her avowed policy by conducting nuclear test to become a “great power”. Shortly, after Pakistan retaliated with test explosions to restore the balance of power in the Sub-Continent.
India is so fond of getting a permanent seat in the Security Council (a hallmark of “greatness”). But, it has forgotten that the USA, a great power in 60’s and 70’s, had to capitulate to Vietnam. Social scientists, in footsteps of natural scientist, have tried to define “greatness” and determine indices for measuring “greatness”. Kenneth Waltz thinks “greatness” is equivalent to a state’s power. It is the “extent that [one] affects others more than they affect [one].” It is a state’s capacity to resist the unwelcome influence of others, and, conversely, to influence others to behave as it wants them to. A state’s power is represented by her military power and complemented with population, economic output, and technological/industrial capacity.
India claims to be, historically, a great power. The fanatic Hindus claim that Indian history, written by conquerors, deliberately portrays India as a Lilliputian. Symbols of strength, masculinity and virility are generously used to invoke the nostalgia of a glorious past and the promise of a strong future. Indian leaders have been using derogatory language against Islam and Muslims in ongoing elections as they did in past elections.
Kiran Kumar Thaplyal and Shive Nandan Misra, in their Select Battles in Indian History, have tried to highlight the Indians’ martial character by recording battles “from the earliest times to 2000 AD”. In so doing, they appear to have distorted history to create an image of dubious greatness (a la Chanakya). References from Mahabharata are quoted. But, historically, ancient Bharat was only Jamuna-Ganges Doab. Indians boast of Asoka as their military leader. But, Asoka, being a prince of Taxila, was a Potohari. He defeated the Greek satrap in Khyber Mountains in 303 BC. Thereafter, he marched, along with frontiersmen, onwards to defeat Hindu Nanda rulers in Gangetic Plains. He later established his empire in Bihar (Magadha).
Asoka’s true religion is shrouded in mystery. As the Muslims own only Abu Saffrah (Afghan) and Mohammad Bin Qasim, the Indians are at liberty to monopolise Asoka. Aware of her country’s dark history, Indira Gandhi, in the wake of East Pakistan’s debacle, shouted in Indian parliament, “Today, we have avenged the thousand years of our dark history”.
Greatness of a society is reflected by civilised treatment of its minorities. What is the plight of minorities in India? India has been apathetic to international human-rights commissions’ reports concerning plight of minorities in India.
Justice Bannerjee report concluded that the fire in a compartment of Sabarmati Express was accidental, no Muslim hand. Yet, thousands of Muslims were burnt alive on mistaken perception that the fire was caused by Muslims.
There are grotesque ironies in the Indian judicial system. In 2000-01, S.P. Bharucha, a former chief justice of India, remarked that “20 per cent of the Indian judiciary (that is one in every five judges) was corrupt”. Travesty of justice is conspicuous in not punishing the accused persons in anti-Sikh riots (1984), the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 (India’s deputy prime minister Advani was absolved of the charges), and the Best-Bakery case until the Supreme Court convicted nine of the 21 accused on suo moto notice . In the Best-Bakery case, 14 Muslims were burnt alive at the Bakery in March, 2002). The Supreme Court, in its unprecedented decision (April 12, 2003) chastised the Gujarat Government for its laxity in bringing the guilty to book. The Court said: “The modern day ‘Neros’ were looking elsewhere when Best Bakery and innocent children and helpless women were burning, and were probably deliberating how the perpetrators of the crime can be protected.” Justice Pasayat wrote, “When ghastly killings take place in the land of Mahatma Gandhi, it raises a very pertinent question as to whether some people have become so bankrupt in their ideology that they have deviated from everything which was so dear to him”.
Earlier, during the trial, Supreme Court Chief Justice, V.N. Khare had condemned the Gujarat Government for its inaction asking it “to quit if it could not govern fairly”. Despite the Court’s strictures, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is still in power.
The tragedy with Indian judicial system is that it is class-based, communal, anti-women, and anti- dalit. Cases of oppressed dalits, minorities and tribals linger on undecided years after years. Violence against women goes unpunished. The minorities are generally scared of filing complaints lest they should be brutalised.
India, the “largest democracy in the world”, portrays a dismal human-rights picture. Every year, thousands of people are imprisoned for political reasons, often without charges of trials. Torture and ill-treatment are common, and hundreds have died in custody. Hundreds more are victims of extra-judicial executions or forced “disappearances”. Armed groups commit grave human rights violations, including killings, tortures and rapes, with impunity.
Not only the Muslims but also the Christians and other minorities are blatantly persecuted. A priest in Gujarat was kidnapped, tortured and paraded naked through town by militant Hindu nationalists. When his fellow priests went to the police, they refused to register a complaint. Priests have been murdered; nuns have been raped; a missionary and his two sons were burned to death in their van by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is the parent organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); schools and prayer halls have been attacked and destroyed. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, points out “for Sikhs, Kashmiris and other minorities, India might as well be Nazi Germany.”
If India wants to get rid of delirium tremens of greatness and become truly great, it should mend its ways. The oppression of minorities and downtrodden masses should stop. She should mend its fences with its next-door neighbours.
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