In February 2024, a few weeks before the general elections, Rhada Kumar convened the “Delhi Democracy Convention”, bringing together a hundred of democracy advocates to voice their concerns about the shift towards totalitarianism in India. As a civil society activist, a feminist, a policy analyst, a public intellectual and a specialist in ethnic conflicts and peace processes, she has a long history of defending democracy, with as much determination as humility.
By Amélie Rives
A fight for freedom and justice
Born in Mumbai from liberal middle-class parents who “fell in love and married across caste and regional lines”, Rhada Kumar was raised in a unique, open family environment that in many ways influenced her career as a fighter for democracy. After a free childhood and youth in Dehli, she studied in England. “This is where I became a feminist. Back in Delhi I was involved in what I used to call the “fourth wave” of the Indian women's movement. Discrimination against women is so deeply rooted, violence against them is on the rise, and in India castes act as an additional divide between women. This is so distressing. I was lucky enough to be raised by strong women and supporting men and that clearly inspired me.” Later, the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms were a rubicon moment for her. She was involved in rescuing stranded Sikh families and setting up shelters for them. “This heart-rending experience led me to start thinking more deeply about ethnic conflict and its historical roots in political cultures.” In the early 1990, as the executive director of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly in Prague, she campaigned against the war in and over Bosnia and for humanitarian aid. “This turned my attention back to the possibility of something similar happening in India, where we are undergoing a corrosive rise in chauvinism and populism today.” An intuition that has ever since driven her fight for democracy in India.
Standing up for democracy
The picture she draws is that of the blatant erosion of democracy in India: “State financial and investigative agencies crack on opposition parties and their leaders, dissent has been banned from Delhi; critics, comedians and journalists, are arrested for commenting on the Prime Minister under draconian laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Retired public servants have been threatened to lose their pensions if they comment unfavourably on the administration's actions; minorities, especially the Muslims, are targeted in myriad ways from lynching to trade boycotts. Decisions are taken by the Prime Minister alone, without consultation even with the cabinet. Oversight institutions such as the national human rights commissions, the Women's commission and even the election commission are partisan! ” The general elections being held until 1st June in India may further exacerbate the situation. “It is the most unfree and unfair one in Indian history. Dozens of candidates have had their nominations cancelled or been pressured to withdraw. The Prime Minister repeatedly comments disparagingly about Muslims in campaign speeches, for that matter he has begun to refer to himself as a vehicle of the Lord...”
But Radha Kumar refuses to stand idly by and let adversarial forces take over. In February 2024, she convened the Democracy Convention, bringing together over a hundred members of civil society, human right activists, media professionals, intellectual and academics, to voice their concerns about the shift towards totalitarianism in India. “We sought to express our deep distress at the erosion of constitutional rights; to offer support to all those fighting to defend the Constitution, including opposition political parties; and to offer proposals for restoration of democratic rights that could be incorporated into party manifestos or states' policies.” Among the proposals issued by the Convention, the priority remains “free and fair elections, the independence of the media and judiciary and the insulation of civil and police administration from political influence. Only if these are strengthened will we be able to work for equality and social justice.” However, and despite their determination, this no doubt will be a long-haul “Returning to a democratic ethos will be a long climb and we will need many such conventions in different Indian cities to spread both the ethos and concrete proposals”. Members of the Convention are already working on a second edition to be held later this year, to build on the momentum. And indeed, there are many reasons to remain hopeful “The opposition parties and civil society groups are fighting back even though the playing field is so unequal - even amongst former bureaucrats and retired military and police officers, disquiet is growing. Democracy conventions are one way, but the real work on the ground will be done by the range of welfare and rights NGOs coming together, as they did in Karnataka last year.”
Could we be witnessing a movement similar to the one that led to the victory of the democratic alliance in 1977? “What we are seeing is the expression of shared concerns across society. A loose network of groups from leftwing parties including religious minorities, including women movements, anti-corruption activists, intellectuals and academics, peasants, former civil servants, not coordinated in any formal way, but joining forces to expose the erosion of constitutional mechanisms. It may not be the same scale as in 1977, but it will certainly shake things up.”
Joining forces
India is not the only endangered democracy. All around the world, countries and people are suffering the erosion of democratic principles and values. The call for reviving or strengthening them should be a common effort, bringing together their advocates across nations. “There is a clear rightward shift globally in comparison to the immediate post-Cold War period. I have been struck by how little democracies are working together to combat this shift when the need is so great. Surely we should be able to join forces against such criminal behavior. When we are threatened by a rise in xenophobic sentiment, reflected in politics in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa, we should support each other in combating the menace. Yet we seem to fall into short-term realpolitik more readily than work for the mid-term even if what happens today will heavily influence options tomorrow.” In particular, Radha Kumar calls on political parties across the world to support each other and to work closely together. “We see alliances across authoritarian parties and leaders like the Trump, Bolsonaro, Putin, Xi Jinping… Democratic parties are weak in many parts of the world and we need support. It is important that India parties interact with counterparts in Africa, Europe and the US.”
This may very well be one of the keys to save Indian democracy, and for this she will never stop fighting: “Whatever I can do to further the endeavour to boost constitutionalism is worthwhile. I am an old woman now and it makes me very sad that only recently, from 2004-2014, we were undergoing a wave of democracy renewal, only to be succeeded by the harshest assault on Indian democracy since independence. Our democracy has long needed stronger institutions to anchor it and whatever little I can contribute to that goal I will do.”
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