Dread of Democracy

Thus when India chose to be a parliamentary democracy after independence, it was not a surprise to anybody. What came as a surprise, however, was the conscious decision by the Constituent Assembly to make India a democratic republic on the basis of a full adult franchise. Most people, especially in the West, believed that India had taken a great gamble because India did not have the necessary preparations to fashion itself into a full blown democracy where every adult had the right to vote. Indian democracy, in spite of the dire forebodings and a few hiccups, has survived. Yet the question remains: has India made the transition to a democracy? This article looks at some of the dark shadows that have recently loomed over democracy in India.