Introduction: Posing the Question
Table of Contents
Hello Freinds, Is democracy over in our country? This is a very serious question. Many of you will have a simple answer to this question: Obviously not. We can vote for any political party we want. The politician who gets the most votes comes in power, so obviously democracy still exists in our country. But this question is much deeper than that.
Democracy Beyond Elections
Before talking about democracy, friends, it is important to know what democracy actually is. It is a basic concept but most people have a major misunderstanding of this concept. Some people think that if there are regular elections in the country and you can go to vote, then it means that the country is a democratic country.
The Erosion of Democratic Values
All those incidents point to one thing, that our country is moving forward towards One Nation, One Party. Eradicating the voice of the opposition from the media, horse-trading of the MLA’s, the taking away power from the elected governments by making new laws. Weaponisation of investigative agencies. Pressuring and imprisoning opposition politicians through ED and CBI. Interfering in state governments’ work through governors. Withholding funds from state governments. Taking away the right of the citizens to protest. And if someone protests, welcoming them with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Manipulation of Electoral Processes
The things that I am going to show you in this video today will be very shocking. After watching this video, you will be forced to think about the real answer to this question. Although, if you are someone that considers PM Modi to be a god, “He is our god. We worship him.” “Prime Minister Modi, he is God’s incarnation to us. He is not a normal human.” “This country’s Prime Minister is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.” “God incarnate.” Or if you are someone who thinks that Modi’s every action helps humanity, if you’re already in awe of PM Modi, “Modi is my husband, my brother, my father, my teacher.”
Weaponization of Investigative Agencies
Investigative agencies are responsible for investigating such allegations. But if all the investigative agencies dance to the tune of a single political party, then who will investigate these allegations? Now imagine what would be going on in the MLAs’ homes. The politician who buys these MLAs, what would he say to his family? Proudly telling them the good news that he suppressed the voice of the people. That he str@ngled democracy. Hoping to be praised. And the other MLA, who sold his soul for some money, what would he tell his family? Proudly showing the money he brought in. By maligning the integrity of the nation by falling for horse-trading. Celebrating his lack of integrity. It’s easy to get angry at such politicians, but they’re pitiful too. How miserable they are, how low they have fallen. Horse-trading and luring politicians with money is just one way.
Interference in State Governance
If an MLA doesn’t fall for this, the second way is to use the investigative agencies. Using ED, weaponisation of ED. Last year 14 political parties had complained to the Supreme Court about how the government is using CBI and ED against opposition leaders. They said that they have carried out more than 3,000 raids on political leaders.
Limiting the Right to Protest
The worst thing is that in the states where opposition governments exist, they are not allowed to work there. Not just one or two, but many states have repeatedly accused the Modi government that they are using governors to interfere in the state’s day-to-day affairs. They are preventing the state governments from working. The West Bengal government has said this. The West Bengal governor has been repeatedly blamed for this. The Tamil Nadu government has said this. The Delhi government has said this. The Kerala government has said this. Last year, the Kerala government even accused the governor of delaying the bills passed by the state government for 2 years.
The Role of Media in Democracy
But what if the right to protest is taken away from people? Recently, when farmers had to go back to the streets to protest again, the government welcomed them with sharp nails. In some places, roads were dug to completely block the roads. Then rubber bullets were fired at the farmers, tear gas was thrown at them, using drones. As if this was a war zone. The photos of the border crossing made it look like this was the national border with China. Even there, there are no arrangements like this. And in the news, it is being reported that at least 3 farmers went blind because of the rubber bullets fired by the police. We will talk about the reasons behind this protest and the demands of the farmers in a separate video. But for now, this doesn’t matter. The point here is that the government treating citizens peacefully protesting like this, Is this right?
Accountability: A Fading Concept
In a true democracy, this accountability is the reason which gives the citizens the right to protest. If the managers elected by our country are not interested in being held accountable under the RTI, aren’t comfortable with being accountable to the media, then they will have to be held accountable by the citizens.
The Power of People: Examples of Protest
A positive example of this was recently seen in UP when the UP government made a very strange and undemocratic rule. They issued guidelines for coaching centres that they should not conduct classes for girls after 8 pm. If they do, action will be taken against them. And what was the government’s justification? That it was necessary for the safety of girls. But does this make any sense? Instead of controlling the ones who are a threat to girls, instead of controlling the problematic elements, they tried to put the girls in cages.
Conclusion: The Fate of Democracy
Now this question that I asked you at the beginning of the video, I would like to ask again. Is democracy still alive in the country today? Whatever your answer may be, but one thing is for sure, if the situation continues to deteriorate this way, it will not take much time for us to fall to the levels of North Korea and Russia. Democracy will exist on paper, elections will also be held, but in the real sense, democracy will have breathed its last breath. Thank you very much!
Source- Dhruv Rathee