Description

Almost seventy years since the promulgation of the Constitution, the country is in the midst of a general election that threatens to return to power an organ of the Sangh Parivar—a group that has, in word and deed, demonstrated its antipathy to the progressive elements that exist in the document. In light of this, it is time to open a more critical debate on the foundational charter of the republic. One cannot take refuge behind the argument that the Constitution—meant to shape all spheres of society—is not to blame for the chasm between its good intentions and the unequal, unjust society it governs. We need, then, to look at three things—the democratic framework espoused by the Constitution, its commitment to social justice and the particular ways in which it addresses India’s distinctiveness. The underestimation of the communal and undemocratic features of Indian society has its parallel in the overestimation of the virtues of the Constitution. Given where India has come to stand, and as we look ahead, we must remain clear-eyed about both.