d for dissent in democracy
It is January 26, 2021. We are still in the midst of a full-blown pandemic. Post sequential patterns of “leak-lockdowns”, we’ve landed ourselves in the midst of one of the trickiest scenarios, we’ve been through in late Indian history. January 26, has been seen as very significant to the realms of Indian politics. From declaring Poorna Swaraj on the banks of River Ravi, to adopting ourselves a Rule Book which we call- The Indian Constitution, today seems like a whole different multitude. Jain school of thought has called for Anekantavada, which roughly translates to multiple realities. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that what we are living today is one such reality, which a few of us saw coming. Romila Thapar in her book Voice of Dissent talks about something really worthy to consider-
Religions are never static. Societies change, so do the religions linked to these societies, because religious identities never arise in isolation. Some are viewed as heritage and some as a reaction to the Other, be it from within society or from outside.
Today what we observed on our television screens was a reminder of how empires have been shaken and crumbled when people came together to raise their voice against the wrong. It was a reminder of all those magnanimous moments in history when the Adhiraja or Chakravartin Samrat's, had to give in to the will of people. However, it was also a scary reminder, of how dissent can go wrong. Dissent has been essential to the functioning of Bharat as a society from time immortal. Whether in the form of the Non-Cooperation Movement by Gandhi or the NRC-CAA protests of Shaheen Bagh; Indians have depicted their unity to a cause using peaceful manners. What is important to consider is that the basis of any dissenting movement crops up from what we know as “ahimsa”. Climbing onto buildings of national importance on a day when the entire world is watching the country, and putting up flags of religious beliefs, showcases a lot of what we’ve become as a society. No Sikh Guru called for destruction and vandalism in the name of justice. A few days back, we were shocked by what had happened at Capitol Hill in America when Trump supporters, vandalized one of the most important buildings of democracy in Modern History. However, it did set up an unsettling precedent to what might be the way from hereon for democracies. On the other hand, it reminds us of what Greeks thought of democracies. Plato in particular was very pessimistic of how democracies operated, wherein a single vote needs to be cast as a skill and not a sense of intuition. Even though Justice Gupta points out that Dissent and Democracy go hand in hand, it can’t be neglected from what lies in our Fundamental Duties.
The Preamble to the Constitution of India promises liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. Clauses (a) to © of Article 19(1) promise:-
Freedom of speech and expression;
Freedom to assemble peaceably and without arms;
Freedom to form associations or unions;
These three freedoms are vehicles through which dissent can be expressed. The right of freedom of opinion and the right of freedom of conscience by themselves include the extremely important right to disagree. The right to disagree, the right to dissent and the right to take another point of view would inhere inherently in each and every citizen of the country.
The recent Capitol Hill attack and Red Fort march should be seen as a worrisome sign for democracy and the leaders who’ve propagated democracy in the past. It should be understood that it might be easy to break apart a single strand, but a number of strands come together and unite, it showcases the power. We might be united today but we’ve never been this divided. So to say, January 26, 2021, has been yet another significant 26th Jan for the Indian history writers.
sab yaad rakha jaayega.
