Democracy in India

The aim of the book is to examine the sources of strength of Indian democracy. The first chapter deals with the legacy of the Indian nationalist movement. It is felt that the vitality of democracy in the country can, to some extent, be attributed to it.
The working of the political system of independent India is the theme of the second chapter. Here again the focus is on the roots democracy took in a soil which was not apparently very favourable to it.
The major challenges the system faced since India became free are dealt in the subsequent chapter. At first it was from the extremist right and then it came from extreme left Indian democracy responded to them positively and gradually the political forces were brought to the national stream.
Then came the most formidable threat to Indian democracy. This was from the centre itself. Mrs. Indira Gandhi and the Congress government headed by her were its symbols. This is discussed at length in the chapter on Authoritananism. Unlike those who made the challenges to Indian democracy earlier, the Congress Party did not raise any ideological questions. But as in political base was strong, its challenge was the most formidable one. It was not, therefore, surprising that particularly after the Congress government's declaration of the Emergency observation of the Indian political scene expressed grave doubts about the staying power of Indian democracy.