A democratic debate

What the national capital has witnessed over the past few days raises several questions that the nation must answer to secure a vibrant democratic future for itself.Student groups, civil-society organisations, and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) wanted to protest on Saturday against the Election Commission of India (ECI) with several demands, including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. To be fair, student groups and political parties had been protesting in the national capital for several days.However, things changed late last week. Besides beefing up the presence of security forces — which, according to reports, included about 23,000 paramilitary troopers — the government decided to shut off parts of New Delhi.Along with closing 45 metro stations in Delhi, the government cancelled several trains coming here, including long-distance ones, at their stations of origin. Although normal functioning has been restored, the decision to cancel trains is hard to justify.

 

Nevertheless, the unprecedented administrative measures did not stop the protests, which erupted in different parts of Delhi. A large number of protesters were detained, and a statement by the United Nations Human Rights spokesperson expressed concern over mass detentions.The protests are likely to continue, and the government needs to deal with them differently. If not Jantar Mantar, some other site can be allocated for peaceful protests, which is a democratic right of citizens. This may help minimise the disruption to normal life.It is worth noting that India has a long tradition of peaceful protests, both before and after Independence, and that tradition must be preserved.

 

Further, if so many groups and political parties are raising an issue, they need to be heard. In fact, allowing protests at a designated site from the outset could have opened up space for dialogue.The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the exclusion of a large number of voters from the electoral roll have indeed raised questions. Notably, among the exclusion appeals decided by the appellate tribunals in West Bengal thus far, about 93 per cent have been taken back on the roll.

This suggests that the process had design issues and perhaps needed more time. No one can argue against the need for a clean electoral roll — the real issue has been the manner in which this cleanup is being implemented. Reports in The Indian Express have also shown that there were problems in the decision-making process within the ECI. Aspects of the ECI’s functioning are being examined by the Supreme Court (SC), and it would be worth watching how that plays out. The apex court will be expected to hear and decide on ECI-related issues as quickly as possible.

 

More broadly, the functioning of the ECI must be debated. If large numbers of students, civil-society groups and political parties are taking to the streets in the national capital and elsewhere in the country, something is amiss.If there are questions among the electorate about the ECI’s functioning, they cannot be allowed to fester for too long. The functioning of the ECI and its ability to conduct free and fair elections are essential requirements for India’s democratic system.Too many questions about its functioning can lead to systemic risks with longer-term consequences. The real strength of the democratic process is that it provides space to make course corrections and strengthen the system. The government and the ECI must engage with all stakeholders and address every question being raised.