DEMOCRACY MEANS EQUALITY OF ALL

Kajal Chatterjee
Democracy does not mean “dominance of the majority”, rather it means “equality of all”. So only that country can afford to claim itself as providing the “best advertisement for democracy” which has ensured absolute equality of all citizens in each and every sphere of the society.
Surely multi-lingual multi-religious multi-cultural India is far from reaching that ideal position of equality as the language of few North Indian states get falsely projected as “national language”, gets disgracefully imposed in many parts of the country and thereby allowing the native Hindi-speakers much unfair advantage in all sectors of this diverse country at the expense of non-Hindi speakers whose right over India is second to not a single Bihari or Marwari.
Similarly religious sentiments of all non-Hindus get seriously violated thanks to the crude muscle-flexing of Hindutva elements and resultant assault on the dietary rights, attire and rituals of minority communities who are not an iota lesser Indian than the most zealous Ram Bhakt.
In the same vein there are various parameters to judge whether the the ideals of democracy has got realised in a particular society or not.
Do all children of this nation get equal right and opportunity in accessing education! If the answer is “Yes”, why millions of children have to toil as labourers in tea shops or hazardous industries when they should have been studying and playing in school! Do all citizens of the country get equally protected by law. Why do privileged get bail despite serious allegations against them and in contrast poorest of poor remain behind the bars on mere accusation of petty crimes.
As far as judging democracy through the prism of “economic growth” is concerned, it is laughable to the utmost unless such growth gets registered equally encompassing all ie each and every citizen of the country enjoy the same quantum of economic boost. At least a dignified house(if not a luxurious one) for each family unit can definitely be counted as one of the parameters of “good advertisement of democracy”; but sky-kissing towers and luxury villas for the creamiest layer with innumerable fellow citizens languishing upon footpaths under open sky 365 days a year bear testimony to nothing but a “bourgeoisie society” to put it most mildly. And we all know very well what is the practical reality of the nation. Yes, while a section of rich and upper middle class are leading lavish lifestyle, billions of Indians are bereft of basic necessities of food shelter attire education medicine and livelihood and the chief “villain” behind such barbaric philistine inequality remains the skewed distribution of wealth where a small percentage of population are enjoying the lion’s share of national resources with the overwhelming majority clutching at few straws only to survive the day somehow.
So when the rich turn richer, foolish economic statistics will naturally reflect a “growth”; but since such “growth” has bypassed the overwhelming majority of the nation, it cannot be counted as hallmark or “best advertisement for democracy”.
Just like dominance of Hindi-Hindutva pose a severe assault upon all norms of democracy as it undermines the rest of the languages and religions of the Union; in the same vein, this lopsided “economic growth” benefitting only a small section of population also goes against the spirit of democracy ie equality. It is high time all Indians be practically served the manna of equality in all possible sphere and only then can we afford to boast of providing the “best advertisenent for democracy”.