Having one-party rule for 60 years is no democracy.
You don't have a democracy when the state controls all the TV media.
> What is the basis for this
The basis for this is the level of grinding poverty in India, live in a Indian slum for a year and then come back to me, and spew the virtues of "democracy" vs economic freedom and rights.
Poverty is organic propaganda for extremism and communism.
> Having one-party rule for 60 years is no democracy.
Er, what? Democracy means people can choose the government. There were several political parties in those 60 years of Congress rule. They just weren't big enough to win elections. In any case, you just have to look at the last 20+ years to see how government has alternated between political parties.
> You don't have a democracy when the state controls all the TV media.
[citation needed]
> The basis for this is the level of grinding poverty in India
270 million lifted out of poverty just in a decade (2006-2016), second only to China. Existence of poverty means democracy is not the right form governing? You make no sense. What is the alternative?
> live in a Indian slum for a year and then come back to me, and spew the virtues of "democracy" vs economic freedom and rights
I have lived in India for better part of two decades. I don't need lessons from you on what poverty looks like, thanks.
> You don't have a democracy when the state controls all the TV media.
Please share some data points when you make such tall claims. India sure does has Fox and Breitbart equivalent of its own. But that doesn't imply that the state controls 'all the media'.
This article shows a nice summary of topics of news on major tv channels in India
Literally 0 discussion on anything that puts government in bad light. 0 discussion on issues like health, education, unemployment etc. Most of the discussion are on breaking communal harmony (which is in interest of ruling party) and bashing opposition parties.
Please don’t cite national herald. This is an enterprise that is owned by the opposition political party and used to grab prime real estate. You will get the same content in some other newspaper sympathetic to the opposition parties. Please cite that.
India has news channels castigating the govt everyday. Wire, NDTV are 2 examples.
Attempts to bring a constitutional amendment (NRC, CAA) which discriminated against 1 religious community was vehemently opposed and stopped. People took to the streets.
How many political parties does the beacon of democracy in the world have ? How does such an example of democracy end up choosing between a tyrant and a senile ?
Authoritarianism and right wing leaders are on the rise around the world. India is also fighting the same challenges.
Poverty and lack of education are primary reasons of corruption, India is growing organically like a democracy of its size should, fighting the challenges it has.
The only reason India has a voice against China is because of its Nuclear capability, had it relied on the goodwill of the west, India would be bowing to China like other ASEAN countries.
China is at par with US today because of over dependence of the latter on the former. The US can continue to enable a authoritarian, non democratic power, or support a country which believes in its democratic values in becoming its ally against China and stabilize the world.
What do you think will happen to democratic values of the world when China reigns supreme ? (A Uyghur would like to say Hi!)
You don't have a democracy when the state controls all the TV media.
> What is the basis for this
The basis for this is the level of grinding poverty in India, live in a Indian slum for a year and then come back to me, and spew the virtues of "democracy" vs economic freedom and rights.
Poverty is organic propaganda for extremism and communism.