An ordinary Indian does not need to believe that the country is either perfectly democratic or already lost. A more honest position is this: India still has elections, constitutional rights, courts, political parties, a lively society and the capacity for peaceful political change, but the fairness of that system depends on whether institutions remain strong enough to restrain whoever holds power. The central question is therefore not only who wins elections. It is whether citizens can still change governments, criticise leaders, organise collectively, receive reliable information and expect the law to treat them equally.Modern democracies rarely disappear overnight through tanks in the streets. More often, an elected government gradually weakens the institutions that could defeat or restrain it, the media, courts, election systems, civil society, opposition parties and public education. The first warning sign is often political language. When a leader presents himself or his party as the only authentic voice of “the real nation,” and describes opponents as traitors, enemies, vermin or illegitimate citizens, ordinary disagreement is transformed into a struggle between patriots and enemies. This makes compromise appear immoral and allows the ruling side to justify changing the rules in its own favour.

The second warning sign is the spread of political nihilism, the belief that nothing can improve, every politician is corrupt, every institution is fake and voting is pointless. Such propaganda does not always ask people to support a particular policy. Sometimes its purpose is simply to make citizens withdraw from public life. A person who believes that participation is useless is less likely to vote, organise, question authority or defend someone else’s rights.

India’s Present TensionIndia’s political environment contains both........

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