Indian Democracy Hangs In A Delicate Balance

The famed Roman Republic laid the foundations for modern democracy. However, the death of the pioneering government revealed the weaknesses of this political system. An autopsy of the Republic brings forth certain themes that proved to be fatal to democracy. Themes that offer up a warning to be heeded by India and nations all over the world.

The unstable balance of authority in Rome concentrated great power in the hands of the Senate, which consisted of men from the most wealthy families. This highly elite circle held enormous power and was the driving force behind all policy. The oligarchy of sorts was able to manipulate the law and those enforcing it, a dangerous thing for the common man. The aristocracy ruled with an iron fist and birthed a growing economic gap between the upper class and the Plebians. The financial disparity between the two led to a conflict of interests, with different classes differing in their demands. The introduction of populism brought both political campaigns and factions. The partisanship that resulted took a toll on the health of the Republic. The loyalties of the people shifted. They were no longer loyal to the state and its institutions but to individuals and political coalitions. This blind support of leaders allowed them to get away with murder, and they did. Leaders both practiced and incited violence, to which the citizens turned a blind eye. The guardian of democracy is the common man, and in the absence of his intervention, the Republic crumbled and plunged into civil war.

Although some parallels have been drawn to the United States, the Biden administration may usher in a new era; it is India where those parallels are most appropriate. All power in the country has been consolidated and concentrated in a highly powerful circle. Families like the Gandhis have been at the forefront of national politics for decades. The common man is at the mercy of the Ambanis and Adanis, who manipulate the system and pull the strings behind the scenes. The concentration of wealth and power in these “oligarchs” is visible even without the numbers, which suggest that 77% of the wealth is in the possession of the top 10% of Indians. Like in Rome, partisanship in India has torn the people apart across multiple faultlines. If caste, religion, state, and economics didn’t cause enough division, people are now forsaking loyalty to the nation for an odious loyalty to a party. The key figures in certain factions have been complicit in and even instigated violence that only further damages the country. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots are some examples of the government allowing lawlessness and persecution. The Indian government has also incited violence against protesters of both the CAA and the 3 Farm Laws. Labeling those who disagree as “anti-national,” and turning all issues into majority-minority conflicts are tactics employed to stir people to violence.

While it is unlikely that India’s democracy will collapse miserably and be followed by years upon years of war, the parallels to the fall of the Roman Republic that can be drawn offer a warning that must be heeded by the Indian government, its citizens, and the international community. Should the nation continue down this path, it will not be long before the damage is irreversible, and the point of no return is reached. Measures need to be taken for the redistribution of reserved and delegated powers for the state and federal governments. There is too much strain on the federal government which has further illuminated the incompetence of this regime. Allowing states to deal with more local-level issues takes the burden off the central government and allows each state to come to the right decision for the citizens. In addition to this reset of the power balance, the farmer agitation can bring about greater representation for the common man, whose shouts must be heard over the whispers of the oligarchy. Out of this historic movement could emerge a new generation of leaders ready to write the next chapter in the story of India. Today the struggle is in India, but who is to say where it will take place tomorrow? Therefore there is an onus on the international community to intervene, and as usual, all eyes are on the United States. Silence is complicity. The United States must voice their support of the farmers, and help to stabilize the world’s largest democracy which is also their last meaningful foothold in Asia.