Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

"India should be a beacon of democracy and stand up for its moral convictions in its foreign policy," said the former chairperson of the Indian Electoral Commission Dr. M.S. Gill at the two day conference on 6-7 December 2007.

He noted that the spread and consolidation of democracy is under pressure and asked his fellow-countrymen: "Do you think that, if we keep quiet and look frightened, anything will change? Do we deserve a seat at the UN Security Council if we keep quiet about democracy?"

In line with Gill, international speakers, including NIMD Executive Director Roel von Meijenfeldt, stressed the importance of a more active Indian engagement in supporting democracy abroad. It was noted that India is surrounded by countries as Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka, which are all undergoing political instability or internal conflict. It was agreed that only democracy can eventually create the conditions for stability in the Southern Asian region.
 
 
The Indian experience
 
The conference, which was organized by the Indian Institute for Social Science, offered an excellent opportunity to reflect upon India’s democratic experiences. India is the largest vibrant democracy in the world: its democratic system has developed itself over the past 60 years within a very diverse multicultural nation with 650 million voters. Free and fair elections are organized every 5 years with more than 3 million elected representatives (of which more than 1 million women!). The specific low-cost high efficiency management of elections, the decentralization of power through the federalist state structure (panchayat system) are all interesting aspects of the Indian democratic practice and experience.

The evolution of India's democracy coincides with impressive economic growth figures, similar to China. Although the level of participation of the full social strata has increased substantially, the vast rate of economic development has led to wider inequalities within the Indian society. It will be a great challenge for the Indian democracy to cope with this increasing gap.