Zee JLF 2018 | Dissecting the state of democracy

In a deeply polarised society, the truth is often trapped in the gulf between opposing views. When it comes to the state of the nation, the credibility of political processes and the role of politicians as people's representatives, finding a common ground has become increasingly difficult. That became evident in the two JLF sessions titled "The Craft of Political Biography: Yogi Adityanath and Mayawati" and "The Dance of Democracy".

In the first session, Shantanu Gupta's biography of Yogi Adityanath was up for dissection. In his book, "The Monk Who Became A Chief Minister: The Definitive Biography of Yogi Adityanath", Gupta has attempted to show the UP Chief Minister, who has often been vilified by a section of the media, in a positive light by drawing upon little-known facts. Interestingly, the other panelist, Ajoy Bose, a veteran journalist who has authored Behenji: A Political Biography of Mayawati, said that a biography should resist the temptation of turning into a hagiography to be credible. His book, he claims, traces the Dalit leader's rise and fall, instead of simply glorifying her.

But, can politicians offer the panacea to an ailing system, when they are the cause of the ailment? In the other session, panelist Congress leader Sachin K Pilot believed that losing faith in elected representatives can be counter-productive. "Democracy will flourish when leaders are held accountable. We have come a long way since Independence. Though the system is far from perfect, there have been reforms," he said.

However, author Pavan K Varma's trenchant criticism of the contemporary situation resonated with the audience. Varma's opinion that the scourge of poverty and inequality and the injuries to a value system, evident in the ruthless crushing of dissent, have halted India's march to progress, didn't go unchallenged.

BJP spokesperson Jyoti Kiran took an obvious dig at Varma when she pointed out how fake Hindus and pseudo-secularists have undermined democratic processes in the country by casting baseless aspersions. She said one of the biggest successes of grassroots involvement can be found in the panchayat elections.

"There are 2 lakh panchayats in the country and in Rajasthan alone 40 per cent of elected representatives are women," Kiran said