Emphasising that democratic spirit is integral to India’s civilisational ethos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that centuries of colonial rule could not suppress the democratic spirit of the Indian people. “Elected republican city-states such as Lichhavi, Shakya flourished in India as far as 2,500 years ago. The same democratic spirit is seen in the 10th century’s Uttaramerur inscription that codified the principles of democratic participation,” said PM Modi while virtually addressing the Summit for Democracy organised by US President Joe Biden. Noting that India would be happy to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections and in enhancing transparency in all areas of governance through innovative digital solutions, the Prime Minister also stressed on jointly shaping global norms for emerging technologies like social media and crypto-currencies so that these are used to empower democracy, not to undermine it.
While addressing the two-day summit, PM Modi stressed that these “democratic spirits and ethos had made ancient India one of the most prosperous,” and that “centuries of colonial rule could not suppress the democratic spirit of the Indian people.” “It again found full expression with India’s independence and led to an unparalleled story in democratic nation-building over the last 75 years,” he added.
It is a story of unprecedented socio-economic inclusion in all spheres, he said and added, “It is a story of constant improvements in health, education and human well-being at an unimaginable scale.”
The India story has one clear message to the world that democracy can deliver, that democracy has delivered and that democracy will continue to deliver, PM Modi said.
Underlining that structural features like multi-party elections, independent judiciary and free media are important instruments of democracy, he said that the basic strength of democracy is the spirit and the ethos that lie within our citizens and our societies.
“Democracy is not only of the people by the people for the people, but also with the people and within the people,” PM Modi added while addressing the summit, which US President Joe Biden kicked off on Thursday (local time).
The Prime Minister said the meeting provides a timely platform for furthering cooperation among democracies. He said democratic countries need to constantly improve their democratic practices and systems and enhance inclusion, transparency, human dignity and decentralization of power.
PM Modi said that different parts of the world have followed different paths of democratic development.
“There is much we can learn from each other. We all need to constantly improve our democratic practices and systems. And, we all need to continuously enhance inclusion, transparency, human dignity, responsive grievance redressal and decentralization of power,” he said.
“In this context, today’s assembly provides a timely platform for furthering cooperation among democracies. India would be happy to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections, and in enhancing transparency in all areas of governance through innovative digital solutions. We must also jointly shape global norms for emerging technologies like social media and crypto-currencies, so that they are used to empower democracy, not to undermine it,” he added.
President Joe Biden on Thursday took the step in his plans to promote democracy against rising autocracies when he convened a virtual “Summit for Democracy,” which hosted more than 100 participants representing governments, civil society and private-sector leaders.
The summit is being seen as an attempt to counter an authoritarian China’s rising global influence. Predictably, China has reacted negatively to the summit, saying that it was the Chinese “whole process democracy”, which looks after the welfare and development of the people, that was far superior to the democracy that Mr Biden was showcasing; and that procedure, meaning elections, was not important to make a country a democracy. Taiwan has been invited to the summit, much to the chagrin of China.