Indian Democracy: Meanings and Practices

By Suhas Palshikar

This volume examines how Indian democracy has survived the challenges posed by widespread illiteracy, poverty, secessionism and communalism--problems that have felled the fledgling democratic institutions of so many post-colonial societies. The contributors locate the reason for the resilience of Indian democracy in its history--that it was the product of a gradual evolution and not of a sudden imposition from above.

The essays in the volume, however, show that despite having stood the test of time, Indian democracy is not a democracy in any substantive sense. The economic policies of successive governments since 1985 have been basically anti-people; rampant casteism, communalism, and the use of money and muscle power have infiltrated the body politic. Mass mobilization has been powered by hate, making it a feature more typical of a nascent neo-fascist state than of a democracy. The substantialization of democracy'--proper representation and people's participation in decision making--still remains a distant ideal.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761997903
• ISBN13: 9780761997900
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.8"