Barack Obama, save your breath: There are issues in America — India doesn’t need lectures on democracy

The divergent reactions in the US to PM Modi are not at all surprising. Some of them are calculated and carefully scripted to put our establishment on the defensive. Some may even reflect the genuine plurality of views that are part and parcel of American democracy. What is deeply disturbing is our collective inability to realise that the American establishment’s display of concern for the health of our democracy is realpolitik at its cynical and self-serving best. If our interests align with theirs, if we agreed to adopt their priorities as ours, they couldn’t care less if we were a monarchy or a democracy. Moral and ideological consistency is not essential to becoming a global hegemon. As an emerging power of growing economic and political significance, we in India must be mindful of these nuances and pay less attention to what others say and more attention to what they do in relation to our priorities and concerns. On that count, the PM’s visit to the US is an event of great success for our foreign policy and national security establishment. Our concerns about China and our relationship with Russia both have been given adequate regard and strategic breathing space by our American partners.

For our civil society and domestic commentators, it is the American concerns about our democracy and the state of our minorities that have caused a lot of lament and breast-beating. Here again one must take American criticism with a large pinch of salt. First of all, by any objective parameter, Americans need to address the plight of their largest minority at home, namely African Americans, before they lecture any visiting Indian Prime Minister about the plight of Muslims in India. In terms of their disproportionately low share in national wealth and income, and their access to health and education, the African American minority is relatively more disadvantaged than the Muslims of India. More importantly, in terms of their treatment by the American criminal justice system, Blacks in America are far more likely to be shot dead by the police or sent to jail than the Muslims of India as a proportion of their share in the overall population.

The American elite loves to lecture the world on the independence and integrity of their institutions such as their Congress, the judiciary, the media and their law enforcement agencies. However, a close look at the functioning of these institutions shows the extent of manipulation that is possible by well-funded vested interests. Powerful lobbies dictate their legislative agenda and financial scandals about Congressmen and Senators are a recurring feature. Their judiciary is deeply partisan and impervious to calls for reform and transparency. Their media is deeply partisan and largely controlled by corporate interests.

This is not to say that we in India can afford to be smug and complacent about the health of our democracy or the socio-economic status of our minorities. Democracy in India and everywhere else is always going to be a work in progress that requires constant vigil by all the institutions and informed citizens. When commenting on the health of democracy in India, foreign commentators, well-meaning or otherwise, must take into account the sheer size of India and its legacy of low income and poor social indicators due to its not-too-distant colonial past. In comparison with all our neighbours, India is a shining beacon of democracy and protection of minority rights. As India grows more prosperous, it is sure to become more stable and more democratic than ever before. Mr Obama should save his breath for more serious domestic issues. We in India can look after our democracy on our own.

The author is a serving IPS officer. Views are personal