Abstract
This is a very interesting read—conceived, crafted and presented by two former PhD students of James Manor to explore the breadth and influence of Manor’s scholarly engagement with India, that is Bharat. Why was Manor interested in India, which made his seminal works at the intersection of state and society look at decay and regeneration in India? Jenkins and Tillin present a detailed ‘introduction’, which is followed by four parts on leadership and power; politics and identity; democracy and elections; and policy making and governance. They began with alarmism in which they forewarn about threats to governance, erosion of institutional norms, demographic deficits and possible regeneration. The first part has engaging chapters by Diego Maiorano, John Harris and Christophe Jafferlot. Maiorano sees centralisation of power as a primary cause of political decay but mentions in passing that Indian voters do not dislike centralisers. Harris draws from the significance of patronage and clientelism to refract through what he prefers brokered or intermediated democracy. Jafferlot places the crescendo of Manor’s scholarship by pointing out how democracy is at stake under the current government and the limitations of this regime. But it must be known that the hegemonic control of the mind of a large section of citizens is the strength of this government.
The second part of this book has contributions by Surinder S. Jodhka, Suhas Palshikar and Narendra Pani. Jodhka, in his treatise on caste in the lives of India’s political elite, maps the progress of Indian democracy not by annihilating caste but by accommodating it, although political habitus for dignified citizenship of all is still an ideal type. Palshikar makes us think through the emergent realities at the interface of caste and democratic politics in India. Upper-caste dominance made way to the dominance of middle-caste groups whose resources rose because of the green revolution, land reforms and the rise of the rural elite, who started using caste as a resource for dominance. Nevertheless, concurrent policy processes have worked to the benefit of the industrial and service sectors. This and the next chapter by Narendra Pani have details from Karnataka attesting to the significance of academic work by Manor in that region. Pani’s chapter on land reforms as a source of identity politics delineates rural transformation and voting patterns, which may have benefited the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The third part of this edited book has chapters by Sanjay Kumar, Niraja Gopal Jayal and Eswaran Sridharan.
Using data from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Kumar tells the story of a participatory upsurge in Indian elections across communities. Increased electoral participation of women is definitely good. What is interesting is the pondering around voter turnout and electoral outcomes, and the changing nature of electoral representatives. The centrality of money and muscle does not seem to wane. Jayal’s questions whether India is an electoral democracy or a liberal democracy. The context of what liberal values are and how they must translate in the practices of Indian democracy needs reflection. How valuable is the report of Varieties of Democracy, or V-Dem as it is popularly referred to, although they advertise their motto as global standards with local knowledge? Sridharan brings into play the Lokniti-CSDS survey questions for national versus provincial issues in democratic elections.
All the authors deploy a range of methods and perspectives to analyse the interplay between regions and the nation. This is claimed to be an essential and timely book that anyone observing and invested in Indian politics today must read. While the intent is to show stress, there is hopefulness today for the functioning of democracy in India. If there is any stress, it is because of the ‘covfefe’ symbolised and epitomised by Trump himself and the western knowledge production systems, which still sees Indian social reality through their lens. India has a substantial demographic dividend. The youth are conscious of their roots and have limitless aspirations for a better future here. Institutional degradation, as conceived by the editors and explicated by the authors, is in the process of adjusting to emergent socio-cultural and economic formations of the concurrent Indian society. There are no demographic deficits because of the increasing awareness in our society today.
Compared to many countries, India has cultural moorings that allow for multiculturalism and avoid monoculturalism, rampant capitalism and straitjacket liberalism. While reading this useful book, one can think about other democracies. The United States could never elect a woman president. Is it because the collective consciousness of their citizens is misplaced? Probably it is not a good comparison because the United States is not a country but a conglomerate of corporates whose ulterior motive is maximising profit for Americans. It will be good to hear the thoughts of, and studies from, Manor and his extended academic family on these issues at some point. The constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom can also be reflected upon by them.
The fourth, and last, part of this book is on policymaking and governance. It contains chapters by Naresh Chandra Saxena, Zoya Hasan and Manisha Priyam. Saxena asks: Is Panchayati Raj in India improved governance and participation? Decentralisation and governance from below are useful and an ideal type, and there is no need for London’s Overseas Development Institute to list the failures in India on them. There are few successful cases, as the author acknowledges, and that political commitment, social capital, transparency and governance are expected to improve with effective panchayats. Hasan ponders upon the rise and fall of the United Progressive Alliance. The political ground has shifted. The organisational efforts and public appeal of the BJP must be studied, appreciated and imbibed for any comeback by the Congress party, which once symbolised the very polity of India. It is a shifting time with rejuvenating values and mass appeal. It is a different India with unprecedented challenges and hope. The twelfth chapter by Priyam is also valuable, with hope for better higher educational institutions in India. Overall, this book is thought-provoking and must interest especially those with a keen interest in political sociology.