Democracy has been “hollowed out” in India and the play of religion in the elections, undermining of institutions, discrediting of secularism and assertion of racial supremacy are among the tools being used for this hollowing out, P. Chidambaram, former Union minister and Congress leader, said at St Xavier’s University on Saturday.
He came to the New Town campus to deliver a special lecture on the Future of Democracy and launch a book, Development, Decentralization and Democracy, by Father Felix Raj, vice-chancellor of the university, and Prabhat Kumar Datta, adjunct professor at the university.
Chidambaram said in his address: “The fundamental message that I wish to convey is that democracy has been, over the years, hollowed out in this country and I shall try to explain, as best as possible, why I think it is hollowed out.”
In the audience were students, teachers and others.
Religion
“Religion ought to have no place in an election. We are voting as citizens, not as one belonging to a particular faith. But today, religion is omnipresent in an election. In fact, when reminded of the basic structure of the country, a member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh said the basic structure of the country is Akhanda Bharat, Hindu Rashtra, before 1192. I did not understand the relevance of 1192,” said Chidambaram.
According to him, religion is so present in an election that it “seems to be next only to money, the most determinant factor”.
The impending inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has found frequent mention in campaign speeches during the ongoing Assembly elections in five states.
Not to be left behind, the Bengal government is building a grand Jagannath temple in Digha, which should be ready before next year’s general election.
Institutions
Chidambaram said one of the reasons why democracy is being hollowed out is “we are undermining, debilitating and virtually rendering ineffective the institutions which support democracy”.
The institutions are required to support the superstructure of democracy, he contended.
“Now each one of these institutions, even the basic pillars, are being eroded. For example, we are moving towards ‘centralism’, which is the antithesis of democracy,” Chidambaram said.
The former Union home minister referred to the Uniform Civil Code which, he said, would be “majoritarian driven, whether you like it or not”.
Secularism
“Secularism is being so discredited today that it has got another name, ‘minority appeasement’. If you want to accuse someone of secularism, you call that appeasement,” Chidambaram said.
“It is a code word for discrediting secularism.”
The former minister, now a Rajya Sabha member, said nothing has changed to the religious composition in the country, which has 72 per cent Hindus.
“Yet today if you are a non-Hindu, pardon me for being blunt, you feel you are half a citizen. And if you are a Muslim, you feel that you are a non-citizen. That is because secularism is being systematically discredited in this country,” said Chidambaram.
Racial supremacy
Another tool to hollow out democracy, Chidambaram said, is assertion of “racial supremacy or cultural supremacy”.
“An important political and social leader said we must bring all Indians under Aryan culture. He also said we must aggressively combat ‘love Jihad’ and conversions.”
Pointing to the students in the audience, Chidambaram said: “You study in a Christian-run institution. I studied all my life at a Christian-run institution. I ask, how many of you have been converted or attempted to be converted?”
Rediscover democracy
The MP ended his speech saying: “We have to rediscover democracy before, and I caution you, anybody revisits our Constitution and revises the Constitution and rewrites our Constitution to reflect a particular biased view of what India should be or ought to be. Before any section revisits the Constitution, let us rediscover the meaning of true democracy.”
