Indian Democracy

India and US are 'natural partners': Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi

India and the United States are "natural partners" and the Asian giant is a very pivotal country given America's geopolitical competition with China, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi has said. She made the comments on Wednesday during a conversation with Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State and Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. "I think that the US and India are natural partners, should be natural partners," Nooyi said. "It's a very, very important relationship for both countries, and I hope it stays that way. And I think to the extent that we remain in a geopolitical competition or race versus China, I think India becomes a very pivotal country, because you don't want that part of the world being taken over by China, which is a logical partner," she said. "I think, given the bad neighbourhood that India is in, it's critically important (that) the US protects India and allows democracy to thrive," she added. Nooyi

NCERT introduces chapter on Emergency in Class 9 textbook for first time

The new Social Science textbook discusses the 1975-77 Emergency as a major challenge to Indian democracy, highlighting the suspension of fundamental rights

Ideology, not power: The glue that keeps political parties from splintering

The BJP has had some significant departures that need mention. The first was Balraj Madhok, the swayamsevak from Jammu who, as party chief, led the BJS to his highest ever tally of 35 in the 1967 elec

Delimitation and devolution must advance together for India's democracy

One cannot keep kicking two contentious cans down the road forever

The delimitation dilemma: Democratic status may see further slide in India

There are no easy solutions to the conundrum. The US system favours small Alaska over Texas. The former has a fraction of Texas's population, but both have the same number of Senators

Where 2 billion voters reside: Measuring democracy in the subcontinent

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity

Indira Gandhi and the remaking of India's democratic institutions

Srinath Raghavan is less interested in the spectacle of the Emergency than in the decisions that preceded it and endured long after

Comrades and Comebacks: Why the Left still matters in India today

India needs Left ideas of equality and humanism now more than ever, argues Saira Shah Halim in her book

India a messenger of peace in conflict-ridden world: President Murmu

Our Constitution is foundational document of the largest republic in world history: President Droupadi Murmu in her address to nation

India turned its diversity into strength of its democracy: PM Modi

India has turned diversity into the strength of its democracy and shown the world that democratic institutions and processes give stability, speed and scale to its development. Inaugurating the 28th conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, Modi also said that Indian democracy is like a large tree supported by deep roots. "When India gained Independence, many doubted whether democracy could survive amidst the country's immense diversity. However, this very diversity became the strength of Indian democracy," he said. "There was also scepticism that even if democracy did take root, India would struggle to progress. Contrary to these doubts, India has demonstrated that democratic institutions and processes provide stability, scale, and speed to its development," he said. The prime minister said India has a long tradition of debate, dialogue and collective decision-making. "In India, democracy means last mile delivery," he said. He also said that India is str

The Emergency revisited: What it still tells us about power in India

Despite all the pledges that an Emergency will never happen again, this book asks whether India is worse off today than it was when fundamental rights were suspended

The Echo Machine: Why democracy depends on citizens, not perfect leaders

Democracy's survival does not hinge on perfect leaders or policies, but on cultivating citizens who can tell the difference between what their feeds confirm and what evidence actually supports

Beauty of democracy: Tharoor congratulates BJP on civic body poll win

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday, while lauding the win of the UDF in Kerala local bodies elections, also congratulated the BJP for its historic performance in his Thiruvananthapuram constituency, calling it the "beauty of democracy". In a post on X, he said the people's verdict must be respected, whether for the UDF overall or for the BJP in his constituency. "What a day of amazing results in the Kerala local self-government elections! The mandate is clear, and the democratic spirit of the state shines through. "A huge congratulations to @UDFKerala for a truly impressive win across various local bodies! This is a massive endorsement and a powerful signal ahead of the state legislative elections. Hard work, a strong message and anti-incumbency have all clearly paid off to achieve a much better result than in 2020," Tharoor said. He said he also acknowledges the historic performance of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram, and "offer humble congratulations on their significant ..

All three pillars of democracy must work together for citizens: CJI Gavai

All the three wings of democracy - executive, judiciary and legislature - exist for the welfare of citizens and none can work in isolation, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai said on Wednesday. Speaking at the project initiation function of the Maharashtra National Law University's (MNLU) campus in Mumbai, he said the principles of liberty, justice and equality are embodied in the Constitution. The judiciary has neither the power of the sword nor the power of words. Unless the executive is on board, it is difficult for the judiciary to provide adequate infrastructure to judiciary as well as legal education, the CJI said. He noted law education is now developing with more practical-oriented training and hence infrastructure plays a very important role. The CJI refuted criticism that the Maharashtra government was found lacking when it comes to providing judiciary infrastructure and insisted the notion was based on incorrect views. He lauded the state government and Chief .

Dynastic politics 'grave threat' to Indian democracy: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said that dynastic politics across the political spectrum poses a "grave threat" to Indian democracy and asserted it is high time that India traded "dynasty for meritocracy". He said that when political power is determined by lineage rather than ability, commitment or grassroots engagement, the quality of governance suffers. In an article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with the Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum. Tharoor's remarks come weeks after the row over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach after the Pahalgam attack. His comments were at variance with the Congress stand and many party leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions. In the article titled 'Indian Politics Are a Family Business', Tharoor said that for decades, one family has towered o

Wholesale attack on democracy in India: Rahul Gandhi at Colombia university

Claiming that there is a "wholesale attack on the democratic system" in India currently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said allowing different traditions to thrive is important for the country, as "we cannot do what China does, which is to suppress people and run an authoritarian system". Speaking at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared with China and India's strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and the way of thinking. "I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure, there are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the leader of opposition in the

Centre moots extending tenure of parliamentary panels to two years

The move follows concerns from lawmakers that the current one-year term is too short for committees to conduct in-depth studies and prepare effective reports

Arm's-length regulators need protection from executive interference

The notion that "democratic accountability" justifies conferring such unfettered power on Executive is not just incorrect, but also shows inadequate understanding of modern structures of governance

Regimes collapse because of weak institutions, not leaders or ideologies

To be truly functional and durable, even eternal, a state doesn't just need a leader, a party, or an ideology. It needs functional and robust institutions

Serving vs ruling in a democracy: Rethinking attitudes to governance

Indeed, this is a Perry moment for India, but it is unlikely to be the last - unless we fundamentally rethink governance and adopt jana seva attitude toward citizens. Are people being ruled or served