PREMIUM

Vibrant democracy, steady hand: India’s quiet strength

Peaceful protest, judicial oversight and strong institutions show restraint can work

Last updated:
Swati Chaturvedi, Special to Gulf News
3 MIN READ
India is a large country and has its own share of problems.  But the fact that it has resolved to tackle them democratically speaks volumes.
India is a large country and has its own share of problems. But the fact that it has resolved to tackle them democratically speaks volumes.
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India today stands as a large, stable, and mature democracy in a neighbourhood gripped by turmoil. Despite our own challenges, 1.45 billion Indians can take genuine pride in our democracy.

Sure, it’s not perfect, as many naysayers argue. But the very fact that we still manage to resolve street disputes without the State using its monopoly on overwhelming force speaks volumes about the maturity of Indian institutions. Take the farmers’ agitation for the repeal of the three Farm Acts, which laid siege to Delhi for a year. Eventually, the Acts were repealed, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologised to the farmers in a televised address. Satisfied, the farmers went back to their fields — and the Indian Constitution, which allows peaceful protest, was honoured in letter and spirit.

Swati Chaturvedi
Swati ChaturvediSpecial to Gulf News
Swati Chaturvedi is an award-winning journalist and author of ‘I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army’.
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