A one-man show is not healthy for our democracy

Be warned. The one-man show that India is heading towards is detrimental to the democratic health of our country.

The pendulum of politics in contemporary India has swung from one end to the other. From a self-effacing ‘accidental prime minister’ who steered clear of dirty politics yet ushered in the landmark economic reforms of 1991, India now has an emphatically decisive reform.

Now in his third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could well be called “India’s presidential prime minister” as the entire government and his party, the BJP, rest on his broad shoulders. If given the choice, his acolytes would not hesitate to declare that India would have to move to a presidential form of government with Modi as president for life.

Like the previous two elections, the 2024 general elections will also be all about Narendra Modi’s personality and leadership, with votes being sought in his name. “Modi ki Guarantee” is the BJP’s strong election rallying cry with only the mascot’s face in all its promotional materials. The other slogan is “Phir ek baar Modi ki Sarkar” (Modi government again). Note: it is “Modi ki Sarkar”…not “BJP or NDA ki Sarkar”.

Another electoral slogan of the BJP is “Ab ki baar, 400 par” (400+ seats this time). Of the 303 seats in the 2019 general elections, the BJP aims to win 360-370 seats and cross the 400 mark with its alliance partners in the 2024 Lok Sabha of 543 seats. This would be enough to cross the two-thirds mark in the Lok Sabha and initiate critical changes in the Constitution.

By now we are all familiar with Prime Minister Modi’s way of functioning: it is “my way or the highway”.

In recent interviews, former union secretary Anil Swarup, IAS, has presented an insider’s view of the Modi government. According to him, only two ministers could look Prime Minister Modi in the eye and disagree with him during cabinet meetings. One was Arun Jaitley, who is no more, and the other was Nitin Gadkari, who was clearly sidelined. The rest were stamps.

They are dictators and autocrats who mainly have a ‘one-man show’. They are in complete control and will tolerate no opposition, within or outside the government or their political party. They can do no wrong, no matter how wrong their decisions may be – be it the devastating impact of demonetisation; the unconstitutionality of electoral bonds, or the cry for the need to create employment.

Such leaders with a Midas touch do not make mistakes and can only do good and great things. So the entire propaganda machinery of the government and the party is aimed at showing the ‘greatness’ of such leaders. A free press is not tolerated because it can puncture strong claims, and there is no reason to hold press conferences and answer uncomfortable questions from journalists.

Driven by their eagerness to transform a nation, such leaders make big and bold decisions, some of which can backfire with devastating consequences. That too does not matter, for it is a price the nation must pay on its path to glory. This is what you saw in Mao Tse-Tung’s China or in North Korea.

One-man rule is neither good nor desirable for a nation; certainly not for a country as large, diverse, multi-religious and multi-ethnic as India.

In the two decades since 1999 when the country saw the instability of coalition politics, the late farmer leader Sharad Joshi did not hesitate to speak out in favor of coalition politics. He pointed out that the compulsions of coalition politics were such that they did not prevent any party from riding on their hobbyhorses. A party with a clear majority can do whatever it wants, as is happening now. This cannot happen in coalition politics, which has its limitations and built-in checks and balances.

The other major advantage of coalition politics is the compulsion of the partners to develop a CMP – Common Minimum Programme. The CMP led by the Congress-led UPA coalition of 2004 talked about preserving, protecting and promoting social harmony; pursuing sustainable economic growth; ensuring welfare and well-being of farmers, agricultural laborers and laborers, especially in the unorganized sector; empower and employ women for the upliftment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and religious minorities.

Be it the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MNREGA) or the Unique Identification Number Scheme (UIDAI), better known as Aadhar, both were initiated by the UPA coalition governments.

No doubt, the Modi government also has some good work to its credit. While the rallies, despite their collective wisdom, may seem slow and ineffective, a one-man show backed by a majority government of one party can be dangerous.

One hopes that India will decide wisely in the 2024 polls.

The author is a journalist and works for a policy research think tank. He tweets at @abhay_vaidya

Published: Monday, April 22, 2024 06:00 IST