When a government seeks to intimidate its political opponents through the coercive apparatus of the state, the democratic space available to the Opposition inevitably shrinks, cautioned Ashwani Kumar, senior advocate and former Union Law Minister, in an interview with The Hindu. He was speaking on the release of his new book, Guardians of the Republic: Essays on the Constitution, Justice and the Future of Indian Democracy, dedicated to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“There is a discernible drift today towards a muscular state at the expense of a constitutional one. Reversing this trajectory is the foremost challenge confronting political leadership in contemporary democracies. What is needed are transformative leaders who possess the magnanimity to engage constructively with Opposition criticism of their policies,” he said.
Prime time: Editorial on the Government and the Opposition
Describing politics as the highest form of public service, Mr. Kumar warned that the near absence of dignitarian politics and civilised political discourse was deeply concerning for the future of Indian democracy and would increasingly deter young people from entering public life. “No one with even a bare modicum of decency will dare to step into the political arena. Few are willing to endure the utter humiliation that has become an indispensable feature of everyday politics,” he said.
