Page 4 - Indian Democracy

'Mirror mirror on the wall ...'

The key fault-lines that must be addressed

We the people

Book review of On Citizenship

Democracies around world, including India, facing threat: US Congressman

The issues that divide the Indian people and its institutions also threaten to hinder needed progress on common challenges, such as vaccinating the global population against the Covid-19 pandemic

Best of BS Opinion: Political culture, the war against NPAs, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Political culture

A country as diverse as ours needs a political culture rooted in constitutional values and political discourse based on truth, respect, civility, and restraint

Even Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein used to have elections: Rahul

Elections are not just about voting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, noting that even Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi used to have and win polls

The meaning of 'partly free', and the direction in which India is headed

How far the govt will go towards establishing its control depends on the effectiveness of domestic institutional resistance and on how much it wants to risk international censure, writes T N Ninan

'Misleading': Govt on democracy report downgrading India to 'partly free'

Govt said it treats all citizens equally without discrimination and asserted that discussion, debate and dissent are part of Indian democracy

Freedom House downgrades India to 'partly free' for first time since 1997

The report cited "a multi-year pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies"

India's Interventionist State: Bolster govt capability, reform management

Building state capability is not an easy process, especially in a democratic setup

'Hitchiker's guide to democratic palsy'

Book review of Despite the State: Why India Lets Its People Down and How They Cope

Best of BS Opinion: Fragile democracy, IBC set to resume, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Fragile democracy

Sustaining it is a high-maintenance exercise

No one critical of the government seems to be innocent any longer

If the Uddhav Thackeray govt could order a probe into concerted celebrity tweets defending the Modi govt amid farmers' agitation, there is no reason why it can't do so in the Bhima-Koregaon case

Best of BS Opinion: A different Modi, politics takes economic turn & more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Indian Americans divided on present trajectory of Indian democracy: Survey

The report says the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the most popular political party among Indian Americans

Agricultural reforms, farmers' agitation, and the power of narrative

A group of people holding an elected govt to ransom and a govt turning against its own citizens in the name of law and order are both instinctively troubling in a democracy, writes T N Ninan

India falls two places to 53 in Democracy Index's global ranking

India's overall score fell from 6.9 in 2019 to 6.61 in the Index that provides a snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide for 167 countries.

Took political support for farmers only after democracy was mocked: Tikait

The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha had not allowed political parties in the movement against new central farm laws but took political support "only after democracy was mocked", BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said

Knee-jerk shutdowns

India has a dubious record of net disruptions