India is going through a social upheaval. India’s problems have always been social, not political or economic, said Swami Vivekananda.
Has democracy made a difference in the last eight decades? Leading to independence, the methods employed to secure independence have been India’s modern history. But social change has been more intense in the last two decades. And this change has manifested itself into a political change. But political consciousness in a democracy requires understanding that democratic values and democratic institutions need to evolve.
When sudden changes are imposed in a democratic milieu, the understanding of the people will improve for democracy with all its nice aspects of the ruling by the people, for the people and of the people runs through institutions. Democratic institutions need to be strengthened all the time.
Democratic institutions in India are to be addressed for the sanctity it deserves. The major democratic evolution needs to happen when we address the means and methods for strengthening the democratic process, the opposite is happening. These are the methodology of gathering a mass of people in political rallies, in pre-election rallies, in post-election celebrations, in organising meetings, mass meetings and small meetings, etc. These processes have been addressed in various fora. But the calling of bandh and hartal, which is, imposing your will on the entire population, and in some cases, it is done by parties who are ruling. It is also done by parties in opposition. It is already been declared by the courts and Supreme Court of India that it is a violation of fundamental rights when a group or an individual with that clout declares that there is no economic activity on the following day or that there is some activity which is organised in a way that it hurts even a section of the city or a smaller portion of the community, institutions, roads, etc.
Therefore, India and its politics require a recognised arena. In London, there is one small corner in Hyde’s Park, where anyone can stand and express his opinion and it is restricted into that area in terms of freedom of speech. Now, in India, the concept of freedom of speech has gone beyond proportion to taking away the dignity of the individual and harming the processes of mature and measured thinking.
So, as Swami Vivekananda said, ‘thinking and doing cannot be at the same time.’
