New Delhi: Ahead of the G20 summit, the Union government has released two booklets: “Bharat: The Mother of Democracy” and “Elections in India”, tracing the roots of Indian democracy from 6,000 BCE and stating at the outset that “Bharat is the official name of the country.”While the first booklet traces democracy in the country through the ‘Sindhu-Saraswati civilisation’, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the rule of Ashoka, Akbar, the Cholas and the Vijayanagar empire, and the teachings of Kautilya and Megasthenes among others; the second compares the conduct of elections in India from the first general elections in 1951-52 to the last one in 2019.The two booklets have been uploaded on the G20 website as New Delhi prepares to host the annual summit this weekend.“Bharat official name of country”The 52-page booklet titled “Bharat: The Mother of Democracy” states in its very first page that Bharat is the official name of the country.“Bharat is the official name of the country. It is mentioned in the Constitution as also in the discussions of 1946-48.”This declaration in the booklet comes just days after a G20 dinner invitation referred to Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat” as opposed to “President of India”, drawing ire from opposition parties.However, Article 1 (1) of the Indian Constitution begins with the words, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” The official Hindi version of the Constitution says, “Bharat artharth India, rajyon ka sangh hoga”, or ‘Bharat, that is India…’, making it clear both names are official, one in Hindi the other in English.The booklet traces “democratic ethos in Bharat over thousands of years” from 6,000 BCE to the adoption of the Indian constitution.“In Bharat, that is India, the view or the will of the people in governance has been the central part of life since earliest recorded history,” it states.“According to Indian ethos, democracy comprises the values of harmony, freedom of choice, freedom to hold multiple ideas, acceptability, equality, governance for the welfare of the people and inclusivity in a society. All of these allow its common citizens to lead a dignified life.”Also read: After Opposition INDIA Gains Traction, BJP Scrambles to Shift Focus to BharatVedas, Ram Rajya, ‘Rule not by birth right’In the section on the Vedas, the booklet states that in the Rigveda, “the world’s oldest composition, and the Atharvaveda, the terms sabha (assembly of elders), samiti (assembly of common folks) and sansad (parliament), each a representative body, find frequent mention.”In the section titled “The King, chosen by his people”, the booklet refers to the Ramayana as a “living guide in India and also in many parts of the world.”“Ram-rajya – the rule of Lord Rama – is the epitome of an ideal government. In Ram-rajya, people live secure, prosperous lives knowing that their welfare is paramount to the ruler they have chosen.”It also refers to the Mahabharata and states that democracy is about doing things that are right for the people. “This is brought to life in the Mahabharata, the great epic of India.”It also refers to Jainism for key principles of democracy, including “coexistence and tolerance”, and to Buddhism for influencing the spread of democratic ethos in India.The booklet also refers to the contribution of Kautilya and Megasthenes as well as the rule of Ashoka, Akbar and Shivaji.Quoting from the Arthashastra, the booklet states that “[the] deep rooted value of serving, not ruling” is a democratic ideal that has always defined India.In a chapter titled “The Power To Choose & To Change”, the booklet states that a ruler “rules not by birth right or coercion but by bowing to the will of the people.”“This democratic principle is seen throughout India’s history.”Also read: Distorted Histories and Unconstitutional Autocracy in the ‘Mother of Democracy’It refers to the Khalimpur Copperplate inscriptions and states how King Gopala was elected by the people to “replace an unfit ruler”.“There are numerous historical references of the people choosing their king. Rudradaman I, King Kharevala and even the pillar of Samudragupta of India’s golden Gupta era, at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, mentions similar principles.”Referring to the Vijayanagar empire, the booklet states that Krishnadeva Raya was its greatest king.“Vijayanagar in south India is the finest example of responsive government, democratic ethos, and trade linkages across the world.”Akbar’s democratic thinking and the independence of the Election CommissionIn its section titled “The Understanding Monarch”, the booklet states that good administration embracing everyone’s welfare, regardless of religion, was “the kind of democracy” practiced by Mughal emperor Akbar.“Akbar’s democratic thinking was unusual and way ahead of its time,” it states.Since independence, the booklet states that “free India is a pillar of global democracy” and has seen 17 peaceful transfers of power through general elections, over 400 state elections and over a million elections to local self-governments.It refers to the Election Commission, which is facing questions about its independence, as a “fiercely independent body.”“Elections happened, and keep happening like clockwork. The Election Commission of India reports directly to the President. It is a fiercely independent body.”Recent moves by the Union government to change how election commissioners are selected has raised questions about the ECI’s independence. Photo: Twitter/@PIB_INDIA. November 5, 2022.Elections in IndiaIn the second booklet titled “Elections in India”, which is 15 pages long, a comparative view of elections from 1951-52 to 2019 has been given.The booklet states that since the first general election in 1951-52 which saw a 45.67% voter turnout, the last general election in 2019 saw a voter turnout of 67.40%.It states that while there were only 53 parties in the first general election, and that by 2019 there were 673.It also says that the duration of conducting elections has reduced from four months (including 17 polling days) in 1951-52 to seven polling days in 2019 (April 11 to 19 May 2019).The booklet also states that in the last seven decades, the number of security personnel deployed for elections as well as the number of electors have increased.While it states in the gender-wise number of electors section that the number of female electors has increased since the first general elections, it does not provide a similar breakup of the number of women or third-gender candidates who have been elected.The booklet states that while in 1951-52 there were 45% female and 55% male electors, in 2019, there were 48.09% female, 51.9% male and 39,075 third-gender electors.
