Democracy Needs Renewal. Our Idea Of Swaraj Offers Some Answers, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• The article highlights a global crisis of democracy, evident in the US and Europe, and suggests India can offer ideas for democratic regeneration.
• It proposes that Swaraj, as interpreted by Gandhiji, can enrich the democratic ideal by emphasizing not just self-rule but also rule over the self and community bonds.
• Dr. Ambedkar's emphasis on fraternity is presented as a crucial precondition for a successful democracy.
• The article critiques modern democratic designs, pointing out issues like vast scale, mismatch of problem-solving levels, and the limitations of electoral accountability.
• It identifies systemic defects such as social hierarchy, corporate-controlled media, and political party oligarchies that undermine democratic principles.

Detailed Insights:

• The concept of "constitution" is broadened from a founding text to the basic arrangement of power, allowing for re-imagining democracy's future.
• Democracy is viewed as requiring robust practices and continuous cultivation, not just good institutions.
• Anthropologist Mukulika Banerjee's work on "Cultivating Democracy" is cited for its insights into democratic practices like nurture and vigilance.
• Indian political thinkers like Ambedkar, MN Roy, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Rammanohar Lohia are mentioned for their radical democratic ideas.
• MN Roy advocated for party-less democracy, while Jayaprakash Narayan called for the reconstruction of the Indian polity.
• Rammanohar Lohia proposed chaukhambraj, a four-pillar democracy, to address design flaws.
• Four design defects of modern democracies include their unmanageable scale, the disconnect between problem and power levels, and the inadequate electoral calendar.
• The simple majority threshold in elections is identified as a design flaw leading to majoritarianism.
• Three systemic defects are highlighted: social hierarchies like caste and class, corporate-controlled mass media, and political parties acting as oligarchies.
• A 21st-century constitution is suggested to include mechanisms to check the concentration of economic power, control over information, and political decision-making.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Swaraj: A concept of self-rule that extends beyond political independence to include individual and collective self-governance and moral autonomy.
• Fraternity: A sense of common brotherhood and sisterhood among all citizens, essential for social cohesion and democratic functioning.
• Subsidiarity: The principle that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level of authority, closest to the people affected.
• Chaukhambraj: Rammanohar Lohia's concept of a four-pillar state structure, advocating for decentralization of power to the village, district, province, and central levels.