India’s Election Result: Continuity and Change: A Letter from the Indian Diaspora

By Dr. Cyriac Maprayil

Apart from countries like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, which form the so-called White Commonwealth, it was after India’s adoption of a democratic and republican constitution that the movements for independence in the rest of the British Empire gathered momentum.

The Indian Independence movement was led by highly educated and accomplished leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr. Ambedkar, Sarojini Naidu, etc. As a result, the Indian Constitution is a well-prepared document, fortunately, India managed to keep it functioning and intact.

Lately, there have been rumours in some quarters that after two terms of BJP rule, free and fair elections may not happen and that viable opposition — a must for the survival of a functioning democracy — may not exist, etc. However, the rumours turned out to be baseless, and the discerning Indian electorate cast their vote wisely, giving the Narendra Modi-led NDA another term in office, albeit with a reduced majority to complete their unfinished tasks. In other words, the outcome of the election resulted in providing the country with continuity of the same leadership but also giving the coalition partners ample room for giving their own inputs and thereby also exercising their influence within limits.

The Prime Minister graciously acknowledged the change, stating, “We have won the majority, but to run the country, it is unanimity that is crucial. We will try for unanimity.” His statement is certainly indicative of a change in style if not in substance. Hopefully, during his term in office, the government will also attend to all other issues which were overlooked in the past, including:

Building an inclusive India, with greater emphasis on social justice. This cannot be difficult since the government appears to be committed to providing ‘good governance and development for everyone.’

Creating more jobs for our citizens so that they will have a real option to live and work in India rather than go abroad to earn a living.

Addressing the so-called agrarian challenge. Although a significant percentage of the Indian population still depends on agriculture for income, farmers are unable to produce profitable crops due to fluctuating prices and outdated farming practices. Urgent and appropriate actions on a national level in conjunction with state governments can bring about stability and a healthy state of affairs in the farming sector.

UN and international conflicts. Play a constructive role to enable the UN in its peace-making role by reforming it. Taking a visibly neutral stand when the world is divided into two groups and when no one comes forward to mediate peace, as India used to do ever since it came into existence as an independent sovereign republic after the British left India.

Finally, the different parties, regardless of whether they are part of the BJP-led ruling coalition (NDA), should adopt a more cooperative and consensual approach in the interest of the nation as a whole.

Obviously, once a government has been formed the role of the party in the opposition slightly moves from perpetual opposition to anything and everything that a government does to that of more constructive criticism.

Dr Cyriac Maprayil is a writer and historian whose work focuses on international political relations and South Asian affairs. He is the author of a number of books, including Nehru and The Commonwealth. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a regular contributor to the online newspaper Indians Abroad.

The views expressed in the above column is solely that of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of this website or its editor.