The Narendra Modi government, perhaps stung badly by the poor ratings and downgrading of its democratic status by international agencies and think tanks, has prepared the ground to unveil its own ratings framework, according to reports. The government has neither confirmed nor denied these reports but the buzz is that a private thinktank, known to be closely working with the Government of India on various subjects from international relations to urbanism and climate change, was handed the task a few years ago. This, India’s own Democracy Index, may well be rolled out soon.
This cuts both ways. The government, ever sensitive to international downgrading and reproach, may send out the signal that while it does not agree with their approach it has the capability to develop its own ratings framework. However, its move could also be interesting as the desperate attempt of a large and increasingly insecure nation – not yet robust in its democratic architecture and institutions – creating its own little corner in which to feel validated. While the ‘India Story’ of the past decade has not found unalloyed supporters in the international arena, even those who buy into its economic growth story are skeptical about its democracy and human rights record.
The US-based Freedom House downgraded the country from “Free” to “Partly Free” three years ago while the V-Dem Institute based in Sweden classified India as an “elected autocracy” in 2021 and further downgraded it last year. The Economist Intelligence Unit has labelled it a “flawed democracy” on the grounds of the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens, and the reading down of special status in Jammu and Kashmir. These are well-regarded ratings and international institutions whose evaluations cannot be summarily dismissed as the Modi government has done. The way to address such concerns is to set one’s house in order, by making India a well-respected and functioning democracy in every respect; instead, the government’s approach is to produce its own (good) ratings.