Can Democracy Be Saved in India?

Or is it too late? That’s the question troubling many democratic minded individuals in and outside the country. With the Hindu Rashtra agenda of the RSS and BJP on track, it’s a very bleak scenario right now.

Furthermore, the courts have not been supportive. Most cases seeking government accountability have resulted in disappointment. Therefore, the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the electoral bonds scheme appears like a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak environment.

Still, with just a few months to go before the Lok Sabha elections, the situation appears pretty dire if we consider the fact that this could very well be the last democratic election in India if the BJP returns to power with absolute majority of its own.

After all, the BJP is the political extension of the RSS and making India a Hindu Rashtra is the primary objective of the RSS. As Dr Ambedkar famously remarked that Hindu Raj is incompatible with democracy and it should be stopped from becoming a reality at any cost.

There are a few courageous organisations and individuals who are fighting for saving our democracy at different levels. For instance, some Supreme Court advocates like Bhanu Pratap, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Mahmood Pasha, etc. are fighting for replacing the EVMs by paper ballots since EVMs can be easily tampered with to record votes in favour of one party only.

Similarly, NGOs like the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) are fighting to bring transparency in the working of the government.

But are these enough or is it too little and too late?

I believe that grave situations like these require mass action and individual efforts will not help. As I already wrote that the minorities and the bahujans will be the biggest losers in the Hindu Rashtra, hence it is imperative for these groups to unite to save India from turning into a Hindu Rashtra.

I also agree with Professor Ratan Lal of Delhi University who has repeatedly said that the bahujans should not vote for bahujan politicians who are members of parties like the BJP that are actively working against the interest of the bahujans.

Secondly, dalit bahujans have to vehemently protest against the efforts of the ruling elite to end reservations in the public sphere. Thousands of jobs are being privatised or contractualised, vacancies are not being filled and dalit bahujans are being denied jobs in educational institutions. This is an effort of the savarnas to maintain their hegemony over the government jobs and thereby maintain the status quo in the society.

Thirdly and most importantly, the dalit bahujans have to choose between Ram Rajya and democracy in India. Both cannot co-exist. If the former is to become a reality then the latter has to wither away.

We cannot remain silent spectators to what is happening around us falsely believing that what is happening to Muslims right now will not happen to the bahujans. As is known, the next target of the manuvadis in RSS and BJP will be the dalit bahujans.

So, the sooner we are prepared for the challenge, the better our chances will be of saving this country from falling into the hands of fascist and casteist forces.

Overcoming the differences between different subcastes, minorities and non-minorities among the bahujans is still a grave challenge which is inhibiting these groups from speaking with one voice. That’s why it’s imperative for the educated and well informed to take the initiative for reconciliation among different stakeholders keeping aside our differences in the larger interest of protecting our democratic rights.

Amidst all these, we have to remain non-violent and demonstrate in a democratic manner for the reason that the police machinery is being misused in the most blatant manner possible in BJP ruled states and are arresting activists and youth on the flimsiest of pretexts.

Today, we need the combination of Gandhism and Ambedkarism to protect our democratic rights. Gandhi stood for communal harmony and non-violence while Ambedkar exhorted his followers to educate, organize, and agitate for protecting liberty, equality, and fraternity in the country.

Hence we need to educate not only ourselves but also the poor and blinded masses to the dangers of Hindu Rashtra. Based on this awareness, we should organize and agitate using Constitutional means, irrespective of caste and religion, for protecting our democratic rights.

The time for deliberation is over. It’s now or never.