A democratic revolution

 A democratic revolution

The Indian independence marked the great divide in the public life of Jawaharlal Nehru, leaving behind three decades of rebellion against the British Rule. Now he was destined to translate his ideals and vision into reality and transform his country into a modern nation state. 

This was reflected in his stirring speech delivered in the Constituent Assembly, August 14, 1947: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.  At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history…when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity...We have to build the noble mansion of free India …” Then he went to the Viceroy’s Palace and handed Mountbatten an envelope supposedly containing a list of the Cabinet to be sworn in the following morning. The excitement of the day was so overwhelming- the envelope was empty. 

At a time when the cold war engulfed the world, and the world was dismissive of his experiment with democracy, Stalin calling him “running dog of imperialism” and America suspecting him to be a communist stooge, Nehru opted for democracy with  universal adult franchise in a vastly diverse and unequal, socially and economically backward and culturally stagnant traditional society, where 82 per cent of population was illiterate. To him, it was an article of faith.

India was put to a litmus test. The first nation-wide general election to the House of People (Lok Sabha), held between October 25, 1951 and February 21, 1952, was an historical experiment in constitutional democracy. The industrial revolution had preceded democracy in the European countries, with the political rights restricted to nobility, tax payers and educated, even the women getting the right to vote in the mother of democracy- the UK- only after the World War I.  Overnight, the yesteryear's subjects and the people enslaved for ages became equal citizens of free India-the aristocrats, the princes and the paupers, the rich and the privileged equated with the poor and the out castes.  The right to vote and contest a public office was conferred on all Indians, without discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. They were asked to participate in the democratic process of electing their own government.

It was a unique experiment and a gigantic exercise. Some 176 million people (in a population of 360 million) were listed as the voters- the largest electorate ever. The whole world was watching the experiment of ‘government by the people’ in the largest ‘uncommitted’ state. About 17,000 candidates, representing 59 parties, were in the fray. A million government servants manned nearly 200,000 polling booths, over 2.5 million ballot boxes and 600 million ballot papers. To avoid the voter having to mark his ballot paper in any way, he was required to place it in the box displaying the symbol of the candidate of his choice. 

It was a gamble in the face of uncertainty about the election outcome and the unpredictable voting behavior of the people,unfamiliar with the ballot. As Nehru said, it was ‘a leap in the dark.’ Anything could happen, even his own party could get drubbing, because of his mercilessly attack on communalism and the forces opposing the passage of Hindu Code Bill. Instead, India witnessed a democratic revolution, with more than 60 per cent voters casting their ballot. The Election Commission, headed by Sukumar Sen, had done a remarkable job of conducting free and fair elections, with Nehru himself taking great pains to ensure the autonomy of the Commission.

The Congress Party’s campaign was a one-man affair. Nehru “was chief of staff, field commander, and spokesman and foot-solider at one and the same time.” Nehru the incorruptible,Nehru the favorite son of the Mahatma, had taken the charge of the Congress. His election tour was a prodigious feat of endurance- a re-enactment of the 1937 campaign.  He traveled by almost every conceivable means of transport- plane, train, boat, automobile, horse, and even on foot- covering 30,000 miles in 45 days, often delivering as many as nine speeches a day, besides brief roadside talks.  An estimated 30 million people heard him.

The Congress had won 364 seats-nearly three-fourth- out of 489, and the communists emerging as the largest opposition group with 23 seats. The Jan Sangh, led by Nehru’s erstwhile colleague in the Cabinet Shyama Prasad Mukerjee,  won  3  per cent  votes and 3 seats. And the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Parishad of Acharya Kripalani (who broke away from the Congress) secured 6 per cent votes and 9 seats. It was Nehru’s triumph. India proved the West wrong that democracy was suitable only to highly literate societies. A traditional multi religious and cultural society had now emerged as the largest democracy, inspiring many a newly independent Afro-Asian countries.  

Nehru was particular to consolidate India’s democratic structure. In a letter to the Chief Ministers dated June 16, 1952, he wrote: “We are committed to democratic and parliamentary institutions. Democracy, apart from its institutions, is a way of Government and life itself. I firmly believe that it is a better way than a dictatorship or authoritarianism. In the long run, dictatorships…stunt the growth of the country. It is very doubtful if the essential quality which underlies human progress, that is the creative spirit of man, can develop adequately under an authoritarian system.” He believed the creative spirit would flourish only in a democracy committed to the rule of law and the people exercising the freedom of speech and expression and the right to dissent.