Irresponsible Congress, Risks India
I firmly believe that a strong opposition and its stance on national issues form the first essential condition for democracy's success. Without a mature opposition, no democracy in the world can survive. India experienced this during Indira Gandhi's regime when she declared a national Emergency. It was the opposition of that time that resisted it, mobilized public opinion against it, and ultimately forced her out of power. However, that opposition's unity was short-lived. Lacking any long-term policy vision, it fell prey to the same flaws as Congress, making the non-Congress government experiment brief. The reason? Those who formed the first non-Congress government had emerged from Congress's own legacy, with no fundamental ideological differences beyond splitting off to create new parties. Whatever the cause, Congress regained power. Broadly speaking—barring a few intermittent years—Congress dominated from the mid-20th century through the first two decades of the 21st. Political literature calls this the "Congress System," but that's a brilliant narrative crafted by the Congress ecosystem itself.
We must evaluate any era not relative to those in power, but at the substantive level. Politics is conducted in the name of the people, and even the cruelest dictators claim democratic credentials, as Pervez Musharraf did in Pakistan. In a democratic context, political research should focus on democracy itself—not on one party—and if on a party, then on its democratic character. By this measure, Congress's record offers little to celebrate, whether in constitutional governance, economic management, or social integration. At the highest level, the Constitution—revered almost like a holy book—was treated by Congress as a mere ledger for internal accounting, amended at whim whenever needed.
This happened even when Congress was out of power. Now in opposition since 2014, we'd expect it to champion public issues in the national interest. Instead, it has disappointed, ignoring people's concerns and repeatedly pushing a false narrative. Its favorite refrain? Restrictions on freedom of expression by the current Modi government. The truth is the opposite. In the social media era, internet shutdowns may occur, but expression faces no curbs. State-level shutdowns, if any, come from Congress-ruled or allied governments. Anyone claiming democracy is endangered by curbs on speech today simply lacks historical or current awareness. Marx's outdated theories were abandoned in the 1980s-90s; what's left is one party's obsession with clinging to power via controlled media—a propaganda machine. In India, Congress perfected this, learning from China's Communist Party. Its recent global campaign of anti-democratic disinformation against India is nothing short of betrayal of the Indian public. Perhaps that's what the Congress-Chinese Communist Party MoU was really about. Such misguided tactics are costing Congress its political ground, driving it to seek moral support from external forces in India's internal politics.
Post-independence, India's economy was shaped by Marxist ideas, with the predictable failures seen elsewhere. By 1991, the state-dominated model was given a proper funeral, replaced by the New Economic Policy. Yet the Marxist obsession with power retention targeted literature, arts, history, and journalism instead, spawning fabricated histories, art, and news detached from democracy. Lincoln's ideal of "government of the people, by the people, for the people" exists nowhere in pure form. Still, democratic nations share universals: electoral systems, opposition-inclusive legislatures, rule of law, and independent judiciary. These are the key benchmarks for assessing any democracy, including India's.
Nothing suggests the Modi-led central government has ever tried postponing elections. On the contrary, opposition parties have demanded early adjournment of Parliament sessions (e.g., [Aaj Tak report](https://aajtak.intoday.in/story/coronavirus-government-considering-cutting-short-parliament-session-1-1173882.html)). Congress routinely questions EVMs after every loss, posing the real threat to the Election Commission's independence—not from the ruling side, but the opposition. They say democracy thrives thanks to opposition and media; yet after eight years in opposition, Congress has failed to become the people's voice. On free speech, the loudest cries come over imagined threats. NDTV even blacked out its screen in protest. But Nehru's first constitutional amendment in 1951 was itself the initial assault on free speech, curbing public discourse on foreign relations run by the executive ([Swarajya analysis](https://hindi.swarajyamag.com/politics/constitution-ambedkar-shaheen-bagh/)). Countless film scenes were cut, songs banned, and books—many opposed by today's opposition—prohibited. Pre-2014, no newspaper or channel escaped Congress control. Social media's rise has since exposed the Congress machinery and its misdeeds.
No matter the opposition's illusions, democracy isn't in danger—rather, ideas that threaten it are. The latest attack? A list of journalists, a direct challenge to free expression and India's democracy. The public must stay vigilant in the coming months, voting thoughtfully. A wrong choice by voters could invite our own extinction.
Constitutional Amendments and State Dismissals
We must evaluate any era not relative to those in power, but at the substantive level. Politics is conducted in the name of the people, and even the cruelest dictators claim democratic credentials, as Pervez Musharraf did in Pakistan. In a democratic context, political research should focus on democracy itself—not on one party—and if on a party, then on its democratic character. By this measure, Congress's record offers little to celebrate, whether in constitutional governance, economic management, or social integration. At the highest level, the Constitution—revered almost like a holy book—was treated by Congress as a mere ledger for internal accounting, amended at whim whenever needed.
This happened even when Congress was out of power. Now in opposition since 2014, we'd expect it to champion public issues in the national interest. Instead, it has disappointed, ignoring people's concerns and repeatedly pushing a false narrative. Its favorite refrain? Restrictions on freedom of expression by the current Modi government. The truth is the opposite. In the social media era, internet shutdowns may occur, but expression faces no curbs. State-level shutdowns, if any, come from Congress-ruled or allied governments. Anyone claiming democracy is endangered by curbs on speech today simply lacks historical or current awareness. Marx's outdated theories were abandoned in the 1980s-90s; what's left is one party's obsession with clinging to power via controlled media—a propaganda machine. In India, Congress perfected this, learning from China's Communist Party. Its recent global campaign of anti-democratic disinformation against India is nothing short of betrayal of the Indian public. Perhaps that's what the Congress-Chinese Communist Party MoU was really about. Such misguided tactics are costing Congress its political ground, driving it to seek moral support from external forces in India's internal politics.
Post-independence, India's economy was shaped by Marxist ideas, with the predictable failures seen elsewhere. By 1991, the state-dominated model was given a proper funeral, replaced by the New Economic Policy. Yet the Marxist obsession with power retention targeted literature, arts, history, and journalism instead, spawning fabricated histories, art, and news detached from democracy. Lincoln's ideal of "government of the people, by the people, for the people" exists nowhere in pure form. Still, democratic nations share universals: electoral systems, opposition-inclusive legislatures, rule of law, and independent judiciary. These are the key benchmarks for assessing any democracy, including India's.
Nothing suggests the Modi-led central government has ever tried postponing elections. On the contrary, opposition parties have demanded early adjournment of Parliament sessions (e.g., [Aaj Tak report](https://aajtak.intoday.in/story/coronavirus-government-considering-cutting-short-parliament-session-1-1173882.html)). Congress routinely questions EVMs after every loss, posing the real threat to the Election Commission's independence—not from the ruling side, but the opposition. They say democracy thrives thanks to opposition and media; yet after eight years in opposition, Congress has failed to become the people's voice. On free speech, the loudest cries come over imagined threats. NDTV even blacked out its screen in protest. But Nehru's first constitutional amendment in 1951 was itself the initial assault on free speech, curbing public discourse on foreign relations run by the executive ([Swarajya analysis](https://hindi.swarajyamag.com/politics/constitution-ambedkar-shaheen-bagh/)). Countless film scenes were cut, songs banned, and books—many opposed by today's opposition—prohibited. Pre-2014, no newspaper or channel escaped Congress control. Social media's rise has since exposed the Congress machinery and its misdeeds.
No matter the opposition's illusions, democracy isn't in danger—rather, ideas that threaten it are. The latest attack? A list of journalists, a direct challenge to free expression and India's democracy. The public must stay vigilant in the coming months, voting thoughtfully. A wrong choice by voters could invite our own extinction.
Constitutional Amendments and State Dismissals
That's the story of the Constitution and its amendments. Congress showed no mercy in dismissing elected state governments either. The graph below—from NCERT—illustrates this far more effectively than words.
(Graph: Courtesy NCERT – [Insert graph here showing frequency of Article 356 invocations by Congress-led central governments, peaking during their dominance, with far fewer under others.])
It starkly reveals how Congress weaponized Article 356 to topple opposition-ruled states, undermining federalism at will
source- https://www.livemint.com/Politics/SJ3mETZ7H1cjKNlodkcM8O/How-Presidents-Rule-in-India-has-been-imposed-over-the-year.html)
source- https://www.livemint.com/Politics/SJ3mETZ7H1cjKNlodkcM8O/How-Presidents-Rule-in-India-has-been-imposed-over-the-year.html)
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