India marked its 63rd Republic Day on Thursday, and it was on this day in 1950 that the world’s largest democracy adopted its Constitution and declared itself a Republic. This remarkable journey was on full display in the capital, where the country presented its cultural, economic and military might at the majestic Rajpath, the country's ceremonial boulevard.
Due to heavy security and associated restrictions on mobility, people walked many miles to reach the two-hour event, with people from across India gathering from the early hours to catch a glimpse of the parade.
Thailand’s first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was the guest of honor at this year’s Republic Day celebrations. The choice of guest also indicates New Delhi’s drive towards greater engagement with Southeast Asian countries. It’s no coincidence that the Thai premier’s sojourn in New Delhi coincides with the visit of Burma Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.
Thursday was also a day of reflection for the country, allowing it to look back at how it has fared as a nation since becoming a republic, and how successful it has been in achieving the goals it set for itself six decades ago.
India is now undoubtedly a robust and vibrant democracy, and it’s no mean achievement that it is the only country in South Asia which is really politically stable. Democracy has unleashed the dormant energy of the country and liberated those groups and communities who had been deprived and underprivileged for centuries. The push for equal opportunities and the power of the vote have given voice to the once voiceless, and empowered large sections of society.
It’s also a genuine achievement that Mayawati, who comes from a community that was considered untouchable, is now the chief minister of the largest Indian state. Similarly, politicians like Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh and many others who belong to traditionally ignored castes and communities are part of the ruling elite. This historical empowerment is a wonder of this democracy.
On the economic front, the country is now on a different trajectory and is in some ways one of the best performing economies in the world. The country has seen the unprecedented growth of its middle class, and has made strides in tackling poverty. Politically, it has widened its reach and representation. With the emergence of local and regional parties, the polity has become decentralized and all sections of society are stakeholders.
However, the journey ahead won’t be easy. If the political system has reached and empowered ordinary people, then it has been helpless in trying to solve many of their day-to-day problems. It has failed to fully address the economic and social backwardness of large parts of the country outside the middle class. Here, the bureaucracy has become something of an Achilles heel, slowing efforts to help the poor. It’s clear that over the past six decades, the bureaucratic machinery has failed to move with the times – it needs overhauling. Related to this is the issue of corruption, perhaps the biggest barrier to progress in India, with too many greedy politicians and officials gorging themselves on money meant for others.
The Maoist rebellion in parts of the country, meanwhile, is also a byproduct of this systematic inefficiency. Centuries of poverty and deprivation and indifference have encouraged people to take up arms. Today, Maoists or Naxalites are a real challenge to the Indian state, raising questions about the efficacy of the country’s democratic institutions. Violence isn’t, of course, the answer to their problems, and the government should for its part do more to make those living in remote tribal areas stakeholders in the process of development.
The preamble of India’s Constitution declares that the country is a sovereign socialist secular republic. Yet right from its inception, India has struggled to strengthen its secular credentials. There are still forces in the country that pose a grave threat to this principle, and far right Hindu parties and groups pose a constant threat to society. Sadly, the anti-corruption movement led by some civil society groups also seems largely aimed at giving sustenance to right wing voices.
Over the past six decades, India has managed to emerge from the shadow of its colonial past. It now has step up to the role that modern history has thrust upon it.
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Praveen
Stop this nonsense of “Far right HIndu groups that pose threat to the society”…..
Time and again You(Mr. Snajay Kumar) do not dare to name the forces other than the HINDU Groups which are real threat to the society….
That are the political forces who bank on muslim vote, whose secularism comes to the front only when they are going to the polls…..
I am not able to understand how are these hindu groups destabilizing the country and how successful they are……
In terms of destabilizing the country this political Class Namely INC (indira) is far ahead to others in Comparison….
NPegasus
The political parties in India have not lived up to the ideals of the Indian republic. They lack imagination and most of them are hijacked by dynastic rulers with little inner party democracy. Where there is little transperancy corruption is bound to exist.
The author, ironically, does touch upon the state of Indian politics while taking a stock of the Indian republic. All other problems, the naxals, the extreme groups, the violence etc are comparitively trivial and can be healed and fixed over time.
Mazo
How come only “far right Hindu force” are to be blamed for the shaky secular fabric of India ? What about the biggest and most dangerous evil and threat to secularism that you don’t have the stones to mention -pseudo-secularists who pander to religious sentiment and play the religious card to get elected! Parties like the Congress Party that has mollycoddled Muslims, Christians and other minorities to win elections at the expense of Hindus. How come in a nation with more than 85% Hindu, we have to follow the barbaric dictates and the whims and fancies of Islamists who are upset by people like Salman Rushdie or Naseema ? Or that Hindu temples and places of worship have been constantly attacked by Islamic terrorists for decades?
Your crude outrage at the shaky secular fabric of India shows great intellectual cowardice and your latent bias against one side that has formed as a reactionary group to the “thousands” of years of Islamic abuse inflicted upon Hindus in the sub-continent.
Harsh
Far right Hindu parties? This is the MOST ABSURD and IGNORANT claim I’ve heard in a long time. The Sonia Gandhi regime is full-handedly trying to subvert the Constitution by appeasing the Muslims and you say Hindu wings pose threat to Indian democracy? Why does The Diplomat even entertain such authors? I held The Diplomat in high regard. I’m shaky about that now!