India At Puberty

OutlookIndia
Magazine Aug 21, 2006 column
India At Puberty Under the agreeable chaos of democracy lies a silence of contradictions CHRISTOPHE JAFFRELOT
Pros
The rule of law has become more resilient
Freedom of expression has been preserved in the media
Political power has become more deconcentrated
The plebeians now have a stake in the power structure
Cons
The middle class isn't interested in voting
Major decisions taken by a handful of experts
Secularism has become a word of the past
Promotion of democracy abroad no longer a concern
***
For decades since 1947, India's claim to be the world's largest democracy was flawed by failures pertaining to mass poverty and illiteracy. Today, though, these failures are not cited to contest that India is a democratic country, simply because of its achievements in other areas—which doesn't mean that India's democracy is doing just fine. More.....